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Chapter Text

Universe 1: Mobius -  Eggman's base

03:44 P.M.

"Knuckles, I need you to give Sonic a speedboost!"

"Copy that!"

"HAAAAAAA-"

"Amy?"

"Sorry, a bot was about to sneak attack you!"

Sonic smiled at her, before frowning. "Where is Eggman, anyway?"

"My radar can't detect any human signature." Tails spoke, turning the Tornado around. "I don’t understand! These bots aren't even using their full potential!"

Knuckles growled, and smashed another bot with his fists. "This is definitely one of his scemes..."

"You think?!" Amy yelled back, running of to go after a swarm of robots that was trying to escape.

A light beam. They all froze and looked up.

"...he's using the chaos emeralds!" Tails gasped. From his point of view, it looked so much worse. And the radar on the Tornado was going crazy!

"He can't." Knuckles said calmly. "He's missing one." 

Right. The emerald Tails had with him to power the plane. Still.. "Its not all of them, sure, but its still dangerous!" Sonic started running, going inside the base.

"You idiot- what are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?!" Sonic yelled. "I'm getting the emeralds back! Tails, think its safe to be backup?"

Tails checked his radars, the readings, before pushing the wheel forward, making the plane go closer to the tower. "I'll go as close as I can!"

Then everything had happened so fast.

"...the robots are retreating!"

"What is happening-"

"U-uhm.. Sonic?"

Laughter.

"EGGMAN!"

"Seems like you came afteral! Behold, my master plan!"

"S-sonic?"

Beep beep beep beep beep

"The plane is picking up major chaos energy!"

"Why isn't he answering!?"

"Eggman, whatever you are about to do-"

beep beep beep beep beep

"GUYS?!"

Sonic heard none of it. All he saw was that the beam of light was connected to a weapon.. pointing at him.

He didn't see the Tornado. He didn't hear his friends scream.

"Goodbye, hedgehog !"

He tried to run.. but hadn't been fast enough. The chaos emeralds were too strong. He got hit. And as everything went white, the last thing he remembered was a shout of his name.

"SONIC!!!"

Universe 2: Earth - Open field

03:45 P.M.

Tom sat inside his car, playing with his phone instead of looking out the road. Nothing ever happened here, so he still didn't understand why he was put on road duty to begin with. God, he was bored.. 

His family was home by now, and Tom wanted nothing more then to join them.

His little family- which used to be just him, Maddie and Ozzie- but now with their three adopted kids. Going oldest to youngest, Knuckles, an echinda warrior with his love for grapes, Sonic, the fastest thing alive, and Miles- or as he preffered to be called, Tails, a kid-genius. 

He loved them.

...even if Sonic did get their house destroyed. Twice. And Tails tore apart the microwave. And Knuckles smashed the TV to "free the people inside"-... 

Atleast Tails was able to repair it.. 

Tom chuckled to himself at his kid's antics. They were learning to be kids. It was normal, considering they never got to be kids before.

Sonic had to be an adult for 10 years, trying to survive without being spotted. Knuckles lost his entire tribe, then got betrayed by.. *sigh* with Tails, he didn't even know what happened, the kit not having found the courage to share. All he knew that it was something about his tails. Thats okay though. He could wait until the he earned his trust.

His thoughts were broken by a loud boom. Tom almost jumped as his car went crazy out of nowhere- lights kept going on-and-off, the car made all sorts of crazy sounds, the car shook. No matter what Tom did, it wouldn't stop, so he got out. To his surprise- it wasn't just the car. No, his phone was going crazy aswel. Even as he tried to turn it off.. it didn't stop. 

"...what in the world?" Tom looked up to where the boom had come from, and started walking towards it. A robery? A bomb? Hunting?

A second boom followed, further away.

Whatever it was- it was his job to check it out. Tom kept a hand on his gun that was on his belt- just incase. 

Deeper into the forest.. the deeper he went, the more he saw- slowely, he could see animals and insects running away from whatever that boom did. He could see smoke. And then he saw it.

Just the tiniest bit of blue lightening.

His heart skipped a beat, and Tom ran. "Sonic?" He called out, trying to reach the center ad fast as possible. What he saw, left him breathless.

The center of the chaos was pitch black- as if there had been a fire. Everything around it, trees, grass, it looked ruined.. as if someone had crashed. And between it all, there was blue electricity. In the center...

In the center, a blue hedgehog stood on the ground, leaning on his knees and legs, panting harshly with his eyes closed. His body shook, and from what Tom could see, he was hurt. Badly.

"Sonic!" Tom yelled in panic, running towards him and grabbing his arms, making the hedgehog look upwards. He seemed tired- but his eyes were wide with terror. "Sonic, what happened?!"

"..they were just here." The hedgehog mumbled, looking down again. His arms were shaking. "They were just.. and he.. and then they.."

"Buddy, slow down." Tom tightened his grip. "Who?"

"Eggman." Tom froze. "And Tails. And Knuckles. And Amy." He tried to breathe. "They were- there. The machine. Eggman. The- chaos emeralds.."

And before he could say anything else, he fainted. Tom caught him before he could hit the ground. "Sonic?!"

A third boom was heard.

"MADDIE!" Tom screamed as he ran inside the house, panting from just how much he had ran. The car had refused to work- so he had no choice but to run. "SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH-"

"Donut Lord!" Came a call from inside, making Tom freeze- before a very familiar blue blurr stood besides him, looking spooked. "What happened?!"

"..." Tom stared at Sonic. Then at the hedgehog in his arms who he thought had been Sonic.

Chapter Text

It should have been a normal day.. well, as normal as possible with three alien kids. But thats fine.

They had a small routine, now that things were settled: Wake the kids, eat breakfast, Tom drops kids off on his way to work, Maddie goes to the vet, Maddie picks up said kids, go home, do something to themselfs, Tom returns, dinner, more free time, and bed.

...they made it up to the pick up the kids part.

"Let me hit you!"

"Nuh uh, no way!" Sonic laughed, watching Tails grin from ear to ear. Tom, being oblivious, had gotten the boys a switch, not too long ago.. including getting them the game "Super Smash Bros"

Maddie, having a sibling of her own, knew exactly how this would go. It went worse.

Sonic tried to mimick Pikachu's power....

Knuckles had not understood the game. He had just kept asking why the players were trying to kill each other, found dishoner in the fact Sonic and Tails were against each other, and then had gotten confused when Tails kept asking Sonic to stay still because "thats not how battle works" 

Tails had gotten inspired off of the special powers each character had, and had wanted to build different machines for each character to try to replicate their power the same way his "Miles Multiplier" did.

....yeah.

Oh well. Sonic and Tails were having fun. Maddie chuckled to herself, watching her sons play. She saw Knuckles somewhere in the living room on the ground, sitting crossed-legged with closed eyes. Meditating. Something about how it helped his power grow. The echinda had enjoyed meditating with Maddie too, the human had definitely noticed.

Knuckles had tried to get Sonic into it too, to help the hedgehog control his power.. but Sonic just hadn't been able to sit still. That was fine. Maybe later? 

After she finished getting dressed into more comfortable clothes, Maddie got back downstairs with a book, sitting besides her two youngest on the couch. 

"I'm gonna get ya-"

"No you don’t!" Tails giggled, making his character run after the rainbow ball. And then he grabbed it. Sonic paled. ".......buddy. Little bro. Have mercy."

"Peace was never an option!" Tails laughed, and pressed the button-

*BOOM!*

The TV started going crazy.

Knuckles' concentration was broken and he flinched, looking wide-eyed up at the trio. Sonic, Tails and Maddie flinched too, looking surprised at the TV: which kept changing channels and all sorts of loud noises. Not just the TV.. 

No, Maddie felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, so she looked up. It went less chaos then the TV, but still.

A second boom was heard.

Now all the equipment in the kitchen, such as the stove and the microwave, started making loud, crazy sounds aswel. As if it were possesed.

"..what in the world..?" Maddie had turned to the fox, prepared to ask if he "updated" their stuff again, but quickly regretted even thinking about it the moment she did. Tails had covered his ears with both hands, a pained expression on his face. Still, he smiled slightly. "Loud."

Right. The kid had bigger ears. Higher hearing. Sonic did not hesitate to pull him against his side, and cover the kid's ears with his own hands aswel. Then he turned to Maddie. "Tails' inventions never go wrong!"

....that was true.

So if it wasn't Tails.. 

Knuckles had gotten up, looking outside the window to see if he could see anything or anyone. To his surprise, it wasn't just their house. He could see lights going on and off in one house, and a lawnmower suddenly having a mind of its own in another. "Its not just us!" 

Well.. atleast Knuckles didn't start chanting it was magic.

A third boom was heard. The noises and flashing became worse.

This went on for another minute, before everything stopped at once: The TV now showed a paused game screen, the machines in the kitchen made no more noise, everything that had been shaking now stood still.

"..." Sonic removed his hands from Tails' ears, the kit doing the same, looking everywhere in confusion. However.. there was still one loud, beeping noise.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

".....thats my tracker!" Tails claimed in surprise, and next thing Maddie knew, he was gone in a flash of orange, up to the attic. The kit came back two minutes later, holding said machine, checking it over in confusion. 

Sonic looked up. "...isn't that the thing you used to track me?" Maddie still had questions about that..

Tails nodded. "It tracks your chaos energy- I took a sample of it after the blast in the basebal field." He grinned proudly for a second, before looking back at his machine. "It.. never did this before. Its tracking.. used chaos energy?"

Knuckles paled, quickly running into his room in the basement. Maddie could only assume, and suddenly felt worried. Don't tell her...

Knuckles came back within a minute, holding said emerald, and easing her worries. "She is unharmed." 

"Perhaps your tracker got messed up from the blast, sweetie." Maddie patted the spot next to her, Tails sitting down. "Your machine isn't made with earth's technology, afteral, and its the only thing that kept going."

"...could be.." 

"..."

"..hey!" Tails realized the pause had been pressed and the game was going again, a certain hedgehog having taken over the game console. "What?"

"You're continuing without me! Dishonor!" Tails laughed, quickly snatching his game console again.

"You're too slow.~" Sonic sang, making Tails huff. "I'll show you slow!"

"...I thought Sonic was the fastest thing alive?" Knuckles asked in confusion. Maddie just patted his head.

The peace lasted for about 25 minutes. Before rudely being disturbed by her husband.

"MADDIE!" Maddie heard Tom scream, along with the sound of the door being slammed open, and froze in surprise. What-

Her son was one step ahead, not even thinking as he dropped his console at once, running over to his father.

"SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH-"

"Donut Lord! What happened?!"

"..."

Maddie put her book down, running over to the kitchen, seeing Knuckles and Tails doing the same. "Tom! Whats wr-"

"..." 

She stared at Sonic. Then at Tom. Then at the unconcious hedgehog her husband was holding.

"..."

"Is this going to be a thing now?" Maddie looked up from the table to Tom, who send her a dumb look. "What?"

"One of you coming home with unconcious alien kids for me to look at?" Maddie clearified, then huffed. "First Sonic, then Tails and now-..... Sonic." She looked back at the kitchen table, where Tom had put the mobian. 

Well, he sure looked like Sonic... but there were differences.

This mobian was taller then Sonic. He had bandages all over his arms and legs, which raised concerns, because why would he need that many bandages? But most importantly, he was hurt. He had scrap-wounds, cuts, all sorts of wounds everywhere.

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were looking at the other in awe and shock, Tails flying over the counter to get a better look, while Sonic and Knuckles observed from the ground. Knuckles had unconciously put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, but the hedgehog didn't mind.

"I didn't mean to!" Tom held his arms up. "I just.. heard this loud boom and went to check it out! I thought that was Sonic!"

"....That is Sonic." Tails said with hesitation, showing his device. Maddie looked up. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"No one has the same chaos energy levels." Tails explained. "In fact, almost no one has chaos energy at all.. but the point is! I crafted this tracker specifically to track Sonic." He pointed at their own Sonic. Beep. He pointed it at Knuckles. It stopped. Then he pointed it at the unconcious hedgehog. Beep again.

"...but I'm right here." Sonic said with confusion, looking at his counterpart. Tails frowned.. before his eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled. "...ofcourse! The multiverse theory!"

"...the what now?" Tom asked in confusion. Tails seemed amazed- and excited. "The multiverse theory!! Sonic, we already know different world exist-" Tails started. "-in Mobius, I once overheard some people talk about not just different worlds, but different universes. And- we already know different worlds exist! What if he's you from a different universe?!"

"....I doubt it, kiddo-"

"Mr. Wachowski just look at them!" Tails flew in front of Tom. "You can't tell me they're not exactly the same! You even thought that was Sonic!"

"..." Maddie sighed, and held out her hands- first feeling his shoulders, sliding down to his arms to check for any broken bones or other abnormalities. Other then the visible injuries, she felt nothing. She felt his torso, his legs.. nothing. 

Thats when Maddie two fingers on his wrist to check for a pulse.. and stopped. "....Sonic, dear, would you mind sitting on the table for a second?"

Sonic looked confused, but with some help from Knuckles, did as he was asked. Not even a second later, Maddie grabbed his arm with her other hand- checking his pulse. "...his pulse is slower then yours." She hummed, before feeling his head, then the other. "Extremely cold, unlike you."

...ah. She was comparing them. Understandable, considering Maddie didn't know what was normal for them. 

Well.. she didn't like what she was finding. "I don’t like how slow his heartbeat is. And.. there isn't even a bit of electricity in his quills!" Maddie made her son turn around, before feeling the other's quills. Nothing. When checking his body for broken bones again, she noticed it: a watch. Not just a watch, though..

"He's hidden a watch.. under his gloves?" Sonic asked in confusion, but Maddie took it off. "I'm just taking it off, I need to check properl-" when trying to take it off, Maddie accidently pressed the center. And yelped when noises came out of it.

"......So..!"

"...Ro... Ye..."

"...LP...?!" 

Those were definitely voices. But unrecognisable. It sounded like alien language.

Maddie just took it off, staring at it by holding her arm stretched out, holding it by the strap. "....well." 

"It sounds like Minecraft Enchantment Table." Sonic shared his knowledge, making Tails and Knuckles look up. "...what is this "Minecraft" you speak off, hedgehog?" 

"Maybe a language?"

"I- nevermind."

"You have a watch too?" Tom asked. Sonic shook his head. Before his eyes suddenly widend. "Mom!"

"Yeah, honey?"

"The name on the strap!"

Maddie frowned, and held the watch closer, turning it around.

"Miles Wis-Watch"

Maddie's eyes went wide in surprise, eyes going to her youngest. Tails blinked. "What?"

"Ever seen this before?" Maddie handed Tails the watch, before continuing with her checkup. Once she was a 100% sure there was nothing more then she could see, she opened the first-aid kit, grabbing some alcohol and a wipe to clean the wounds.

Tails, meanwhile, looked over the watch all over. "..its definitely from Mobius, alright. I just can't tell if its me.."

"It has your name on it what else do you want?"

Knuckles, who had been silent the entire time, looked over at Sonic's counterpart carefully. More specifically, the way his hand twitched.

..whatever hurt him. It could still be around. The echinda would have his guard up.

Tom watched while Maddie worked, not intervering even once. She first gently wiped at the wounds on his arm, raising red flags when the heghehog didn't even react to it. 

Maddie had just finished bandaging one arm, reaching for the first-aid kit to grab a new wipe when- 

-The newcomer suddenly shot up with a gasp, eyes wide and filled with shock. Sonic almost fell over in surprise, quickly, jumping off the cabinet. 

"W-woah!" Tom reached out, not hesitating to put his hands on his shoulders. "Easy, bud, you're-"

The other just blinked. Looking around. "Who-" the rest was startled by his voice. He sounded different.. but at the same time, he sounded the same. Just.. a bit of both.

"Tom." Tom said, and the other looked him right in the eyes. The same green eyes.. but different. No childlike innocence, no fear, no hesitance, nothing. Just confusion and tiredness. "You're in our house." 

"...our?" 

Maddie stepped into view, and smiled gently. "Hi sweetheart." 

"...what happened.." The Mobian weakly pushed Tom's hands away, blinking multible times. "Where's.. what.."

?!

"The chaos emeralds!" In his sudden panic, the hedgehog lost his balance, and fell backwards from the counter on the ground, groaning to himself.

"H-hey!" Both Maddie and Tom ran over, Maddie quickly putting a hand behind his back. "Easy, little gu-"

"Sonic" was standing in less then a second, seemingly not bothered in the slightest. In fact, his eyes were wide, and he seemed panicked- no lightening. "Eggman! He was just here! He was using the chaos-" and then he caught site of his counterpart. His eyes went wide in surprise.

".....you!" he suddenly seemed to get mad, at once, looking ready to fight Sonic, startling everyone in the room. "I don’t know what Eggman is doing, Metal, but I swear if he hurts a single person!-"

"I'm not Metal!" Sonic cried out, holding his arms out in the universal sign of peace. Electricity spiked between his quills. Who the heck is Metal?

"..." "Sonic" lowered his arms, looking at his counterpart in confusion. "....Metal... can't talk.." he didn't have electricity, either. Besides.. Sonic didn't look like a robot.

The hedgehog looked around, only now realizing he didn't regonize the place. He noticed finally- the two he had been talking with weren't mobians.

Most importantly.. he noticed Knuckles and Tails. "... Knuckles? Tails? What is.."

"Wrong Knuckles. Or me." Tails smiled slightly, excitment obvious on his face- this Sonic knew them. Which only supported his theory. "Your name is Sonic, right?"

"..." "Sonic" nodded slowely, looking lost. "..where am I? Where's Eggman? We were just fighting.." he almost lost his balance, legs suddenly not working anymore. Tom caught him before he could fall.

"...who are you?" So this Sonic didn't know him. Perhaps they didn't meet yet? But he said he was already fighting Robotnik.. and shouldn't he regonize him as "The Donut Lord"?

"Tom." Tom smiled, helping him get up. "How about you sit down so my wife can continue patching you up, huh?"

"..." the smaller one looked at Maddie. No childlike innocence. No uncertainty. No electricity. 

"I'm Maddie." Maddie said, realizing he didn't know her either. But how come he knew Tails and Knuckles while he didn't know Tom and Maddie? "You were hurt. Can I continue tending your wounds?"

"..." he nodded, holding out his arm- only now realizing the extra bandages on them. Still, Maddie took it, and hesitated. "..actually, how about we move to the living room? The couch might be nicer."

He simply nodded, allowing Maddie to guide him to the living room. Tom took the first-aid kit, following closely. Sonic and Knuckles looked extremely lost- and spooked. He mentioned Robotnik. He was fighting Eggman.

"Not our Robotnik." Knuckles said, crossing his arms. "His Robotnik. It appears we haven't defeated him yet. How could that-... fox?"

Tails seemed overjoyed, smiling brightly and flying, the brightest smile on his face. "I knew it! I knew it! The multiverse theory- its true!" He froze, realization hitting him- and his smile brightend. "And now there are two of the most amazing hero in the entire  multiverse!!"

...clearly, the kit had missed the Robotnik part.

Chapter Text

Maddie finished bandaging up his second arm. He still hadn't talked.

All "Sonic" had done was stare with a confused and worried expression, barely reacting to the alcohol on his wounds. Maybe flinch sometimes. But nothing more. 

"...honey, how about we try to figure out what happened?" Maddie asked, kneeling down to get a look at his leg. Sonic looked up- and smiled the slightest bit. "..ofcourse."

"Alright.. first off, your name is Sonic?" Tom asked, as if he didn't know the answer. Still, the hedgehog nodded. "And you said something about Robotnik?"

Sonic looked confused for a second, before his eyes lit up again. "Eggman. He attacked again-"

Again?

"We went after him, like always-"

Like always?

"But something was off.. I can't remember it clearly.." Sonic trailed off, looking up when he heard the other three Mobians enter. Tails was all smiles and excitement, while his counterpart looked lost and Knuckles concerned. "Is this the second time Robotnik is attacking, hedgehog?"

...this Knuckles talked weird. Sonic frowned. "No? Eggman attacks all the time!" He didn't see the horrified looks he got from Tom and Maddie, and instead just grinned proudly. "But I am too awsome for him to ever win. And perhaps the other three aswel."

"...Three?"

"Tails, Knux and Amy." 

"So we exist!" Tails wrote that down in his machine. Sonic frowned. "...who is Amy?"

"...you don’t know Amy?" The other frowned, only now realizing- she wasn't there. Sonic thought. "..maybe you're ahead of us.."

"...ahead?"

"Oh! Right!" Tails stepped forward, and smiled. "My name is Miles!" Sonic two seemed surprised once hearing that, but didn't comment. "-but everyone calls me Tails. You probably knew that-... anyway! As we all know, thanks to the rings, we know different universes exist! And a group of universes together are called the multiverse. It was always a theory that everyone has multible versions of themselfs, in different universes! Its called-"

"-the multiverse theory." Other Sonic finished before Tails could, making the kid go silent. He frowned. "...yeah. How did you know that?"

To his surprise- the other smiled a warm smile, one Tails rarely saw, with that fond look in his eyes. "My Tails mentioned it when one of Eggman's machines send me into a different sorta reality plane thing. I don’t understand it-" he laughed awkwardly. "-but the little guy had been so excited about the possibility. He would have been just as excited as you are."

"...okay." Tails blinked. This time, Sonic did flinch when Maddie touched the wound on his leg.

"Sorry baby."

"I've had worse."

"What could have happened for you to end up here?" Knuckles asked, crossing his arms. Sonic thought. "....Like I said, we had been fighting Eggman. He.. had almost all the chaos emeralds, and wanted to use them to take over Mobius-" 

Tails dropped his machine, Sonic froze, and Knuckles' eyes went wide. The hedgehog looked up. "...what?"

Mobius. Not earth, Mobius.

"You still live on Mobius?" Sonic asked with a shaky voice. Tom and Maddie looked at each other with a frown.

"...yeah? Where else am I supposed to live?" Sonic frowned. Well.. that explained why he didn't know Tom and Maddie.

"But- what about the- ...bad people who wanted to take our powers away?" Knuckles put a hand on his brother's shoulder once he noticed the electricity between his quills. Sonic took a deep breath.

"No one ever wanted to take my powers?" Sonic frowned. "Other then Eggman, maybe."

"...what about Longclaw...?" Sonic asked with hesitation. The answer almost made him choke.

"Who?" 

"..." Tails walked over to hug his older sibling. Sonic just stared at him in shock. "...my.. first guardian. My parent."

"You have parents?" Maddie almost dropped the bandage she had been wrapping up his leg with. "You don’t?"

"Nah." "Sonic" seemed hesitant, but grinned anyway. "Its always been just me. And Tails." 

Tails? They could ask later.. "Sonic, how old are you?"

"15. Soon to be 16." Sonic crossed his arms. "...I still don’t know who you are." 

"Your parents." Maddie breathed out, moving to the other leg. Sonic blinked in surprise. "..huh. I've never seen humans, other then Eggman!"

Did he even know he wasn't on Mobius? Probably not.

"You said Eggman had the chaos emeralds." Knuckles cut to the chase, deciding they could deal with the backstories later. "How is your relationship with Robotnik?"

"Been fighting him for years." Sonic started, grinning at the warrior. "Like I said, he could never defeat me and my friends. We were preparing to get the chaos emeralds back, but his machines were weird.. they didn't use full power. Thats when Eggman pointed a very big machine connected to the chaos emeralds at me.. and then it kinda stops."

"So." Tails grabbed his machine from the ground, and wrote that down. "Its possible the chaos energy from the emeralds mimicked our rings, but instead of a different place, transported you to a different multiverse all together."

"..geez." Sonic shivered. "And that wasn't even them a-" he froze, eyes going wide.

"...other me?"

".....nothing." the hedgehog relaxed again, staring at Tails specifically, before he sighed. "I.. nevermind."

....alright...

"Sonic," Tom started, staring at his son. "Do you perhaps have a ring he could use?"

Sonic's eyes widend. Before he nodded. "Be right back." He ran off. His counterpart frowned. "What would I need a ring for?"

"Don't you have rings in your universe?" Tails asked. Sonic nodded.

"Hm.. perhaps the purpose is different then.. you did say you were after the chaos emeralds.. not the master emerald."

"Chaos, no!" Sonic laughed, thanking Maddie when she finished wrapping up his final leg. He looked like a mummie. "That Knucklehead would die before he let anything happen to that!"

Sonic Wachowski came back, holding the final ring he had in his hands. "....ya know this is our last.."

"I know." Tom smiled gently. "But we don’t need it anymore, do we, bud?"

"..." Sonic shook his head, holding it out to his counterpart- who flinched away. "..what?"

"What do I need to power up for?" Sonic asked. The younger frowned. "...power up?"

"Our rings don’t work like that." Tails quickly said. "Ours have travel purposes. You just throw it, and it opens a portal to wherever you want it to go."

"..." "Sonic" nodded, and took it hesitantly. "..how does it work?"

"Just picture where you want it to go!" Sonic said cheerfully, sitting besides Tom. "Say it out loud if you feel like it."

"-and perhaps be more specific then Mobius." Tails quickly added. "It might take you to ours, otherwise."

"...welp. nice to meet ya'll. Home." Sonic threw the ring... and nothing happened. He frowned. "Now what?"

The other five stared in surprise, before Sonic spoke. "...it should have opened a portal.. Tails?" The fox kept looking between his device and the ring, eyes widening. "...uhm. I think it isn't working for him."

"Why not?" Knuckles demanded to know, making Tails shrink. "He- he isn't from our universe. He's from a different one. I think the rings can't reach it!"

"...so I'm stuck here?" Other Sonic asked, worry lacing his voice. The Wachowski's looked at each other with uncertainty.

....dear god.

"This place looks so different from Mobius!" Sonic said wide-eyed, staring around the yard. He had gotten some glimpses of the outside world after Maddie had explained earth, and the hedgehog had wanted to see. "Like- I- dear chaos."

Maddie grinned, crossing her arms. "Is it good enough?"

"Its different then home." Sonic said, looking around. He looked at the flowers. So different! 

Sonic, ofcourse, had tried his phone. Hadn't worked, as the signal hadn't reached his world. Once he realized his watch was missing too, Tails took it upon himself to fix it, the fox now inside, toying with said watch.

"Wait until you see more then the yard." His counterpart said, giggling. Sonic frowned at him, but the other pretended he didn't see that. "And the animals! God those are hilarious!"

"Why?"

"Hedgehogs from earth!" Sonic laughed. His counterpart just smiled a confused grin. Tom and Maddie looked at each other, before at their son and his double, then at each other again.

"So... we have four sons now?"

"Yep."

"Great."

"I'm preparing the guest room."

"We have to ask him about the "fighting all the time" part."

Both adults nodded at each other, before Maddie walked inside, and Tom walked towards the duo. His Sonic saw- and grinned. "Dad!" He called, making his look-alike blink, surprise obvious on his face. But he didn’t comment. "Other me has never seen earth animals before! We gotta show him later!"

"Got it." Tom chuckled, sitting on the ground besides them. Knuckles joined a couple seconds later.

"....hedgehog." Knuckles spoke. Both turned to him. "No, you." He pointed at the new Sonic. "Yeah?"

"Your world. What is it like there?" Knuckles asked. Sonic grinned. "Ya sure Tails wouldn't wanna listen?" 

"You can explain it to the fox later."

"..." Other him chuckled, before standing up. "For instance- I never came to "earth"." He pointed all around. "-I never went into hiding, I never met-....them." he pointed at Tom. "I, actually, am known as one of the biggest heroes on Mobius." He smiled a proud grin, wipping his finger under his nose.

"You are?" Tom didn't like that. Not one bit.

"The blue blurr." Sonic shrugged. "Have been fighting Eggman for years. Not that Egghead can ever win anyways." 

"But.. Why?" Sonic asked in confusion. His counterpart frowned. "Eggman wanted to get all six chaos emeralds to take over the world. Not that he'll ever get them-" Sonic laughed. "Anyways- he searches for them, we stop him."

"And who's "we"?" Tom asked. He didn't like the answer either.

"Me, Tails, Knuckles and Ames." Sonic grinned at the look he got from Knuckles, but younger Sonic ignored that. "You mean the Amy from earlier?"

"Ah- right. You don't know her." Sonic grabbed his phone out of his shoe, quickly searching through it. "Amy Rose. One of my friends- aaand- there ya go." He handed his counterpart the phone, revealing a picture of a pink hedgehog in a red dress, a red headband, and green eyes. Her quills looked different, but she was obviously a hedgehog. She was smiling sweetly. 

She made Sonic think of cotton candy.

Tom looked up- pretending not to see the faint blush on the other's face.

"She's scary, honestly! Especially when she goes all mom-..." Sonic huffed. "She used to go crazy fangirl all over me, but I suppose that was just the start, when we just met. We're good friends now."

"Friends." 

"What?"

"Nothing." 

As Sonic continued scrolling through the phone, he found pictures of- anything, really. Mostly group pictures, he discovered. It felt weird seeing himself on screen, scenes he didn't know existed. A picture of his double and "Amy", eating out in a restaurant. A picture of him and Knuckles, the echinda looking confused while Sonic just smiled cheerfully. A picture of Tails, who didn't even seem to realize Sonic was sneaking up on him, while he was working on- a..... plane? A picture of-

Sonic stopped when he reached a screenshot of a news article, eyes wide. Knuckles froze besides him, too. 

GREAT HERO SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SAVES CITY ONCE AGAIN, HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL EGGMAN IS DEFEATED?

Underneat was a picture of Sonic himself, looking uncomfortable, obviously trying to avoid the camera.

"....this feels weird." When Tom looked up, Sonic showed him the article. The human paled.

His counterpart however, grinned. "Yeah. Amy suggested we do that to keep track of where Eggman went. I'm following the news channels too, incase they track Eggy before Tails can."

"Ah ha..." Tom trailed off. 

"...so, other me." Sonic looked up. "What is your life like?"

Tails gently twisted the final screw, and smiled in victory when the watch lit up. Yes! Finally!

It had been a while, since he had worked with technology from Mobius. But he still had it, it seems.

Then again, apperantly, he was the one to make it..

The fox did want to get up and hand his brother's counterpart the watch back.. but he was too curious about it. How did it work? What purpose did it serve?

Tails knew it was a communicater- but he also knew himself. There was no way it was just a communicator. And bingo! 

After playing with it for a while, Tails discovered- it was also a tracker! It had three more signals it could connect to- for which the fox cub had no doubt was the other three watches. They had disconnected, which seemed logical.

It was also connected to something called-.... The Tornado? Tails frowned, trying to figure out what that meant.

Wait.. these names didn't make sense.

Owner: Blue Thunder

Connection one: Yellow Sky

Connection two: Red Rose

Connection three: Knux

What were these nicknames... it wasn't hard to guess who was who. Other then this "Red Rose" but why did his counterpart find the need to give everyone nicknames on this watch? 

Well.. Sonic did enjoy nicknames. Perhaps it was his idea. 

But really? First The Blue Devil, then Blue Justice, and now Blue Thunder? Why always the usage of blue anyways? 

Tails giggled to himself, searching for other purposes the watch could have.

Hold on... what is the record button?

He pressed it. And almost dropped the watch at the sudden noise.

"Knuckles, I need you to give Sonic a speedboost!"

"Copy that!"

"HAAAAAAA-"

"Amy?"

"Sorry, a bot was about to sneak attack you!"

Ah! It recorded anything said into the watch! Tails smiled proudly. It may not have been him who created this watch, but still. It technically was!

Maddie walked back downstairs, seeing the fox alone in the living room. "Miles? Sweetie, won't you join us outside?"

The kid smiled. "I will! I just fixed other Sonic's watch is all. It can record any conversation spoken into it, apperantly."

"Where is Eggman, anyway?"

"My radar can't detect any human signature. I don’t understand! These bots aren't even using their full potential!"

Tails looked at the watch once he heard his own voice. This felt weird..

Maddie sat down besides him, looking at it with interest. "Is this one of thise conversations?"

"Its the last recorded one."

"This is definitely one of his scemes..."

"You think?!" 

The first one was Knuckles, Tails had no doubt. But the second voice... he had no clue. 

"...he's using the chaos emeralds!" There was a loud beeping in the background. His counterpart sounded distressed, which.. wasn't reasuring. Tails felt Maddie suddenly place a hand on his shoulder.

"He can't. He's missing one." 

Missing one of what? The chaos emeralds? But where was it then?

"Its not all of them, sure, but its still dangerous!" Sonic. And.. he was running.

"You idiot- what are you doing?!"

"What does it look like?! I'm getting the emeralds back! Tails, think its safe to be backup?"

Sonic sounded different. Maddie didn't like it. She didn't like the fact Tails seemed just as determined to join the fight, either.

What did he mean with "Safe to be backup"?

"I'll go as close as I can!"

Then the noise stopped for a while. Until.. they suddenly all started again.

"...the robots are retreating!"

"What is happening-"

"U-uhm.. Sonic?"

Laughter.

"EGGMAN!"

"Seems like you came afteral! Behold, my master plan!"

"S-sonic?"

Beep beep beep beep beep

"Oh dear..." Maddie took a deep breath, her grip on Tails' shoulder tightening. She didn't like this... 

Versions of her sons were fighting that man. Multible times.

"The plane is picking up major chaos energy!"

"Why isn't he answering!?"

"Eggman, whatever you are about to do-"

beep beep beep beep beep!

"GUYS?!"

...Tails.

He had screamed. Why had he screamed?

The doctor was talking some nonsense about his "master plan", Sonic's counterpart seemingly forgotten that his watch was still on.

"Goodbye, hedgehog !"

"SONI-" And it cut off. 

Maddie blinked, then took a shuddering breath.

Tails seemed just as spooked, silently placing the watch on the couch, before clinging to Maddie. 

"They were fighting Eggman." He mumbled.

"And I'm not there." A new voice called, making the duo jump, turning to both hedgehogs, Knuckles and Tom. "I know they can handle themselfs.. but I should be there. He's after me, not Tails, not Knuckles, not  Amy. Me."

"But.. the ring didn't work." Tom frowned. Older Sonic groaned. "Exactly.. now what?"

"..."

"I suppose.." Tails started, grabbing the watch again. "If Robotnik could built a portal.. I could too."

"Are you sure, fox?" Knuckles asked, walking towards the couch aswel. "Robotnik used the chaos emeralds.."

"And we have the master emerald." Tails added, looking at their oldest. "He can do it. I can too." 

"..." both Sonic's started chuckling, earning a confused look from the others.

"Well.. that egghead can built a dimension portal-"

"-so no doubt you can aswel, little bro!" Sonic Wachowski cheered, earning a smile from Tails. 

"Are you sure, baby?" Maddie asked- ignoring the even more lost look she got from the newest mobian. Tails nodded cheerfully. "I'll need to design a lot, but I can do it!"

"So-.... its settled?" Tom asked. "He's staying here?"

"Ah-" second Sonic quickly held his arms up. "Nah, I've already given enough trouble, so thank you for your kindness Mr. Wachowski-"

"Tom."

"Right, Tom." Sonic laughed awkwardly. "This whole situation is weird, and I've trouble ya'll enough-"

"Nonsense, hedgehog!" Knuckles claimed, quickly trapping other Sonic with a one-side hug, earning another surprised look from Sonic, for some reason.. perhaps his counterpart didn't like physical affection? He had sounded different in the watch then himself..

"Besides, mom will no doubt never let you stay outside!" Sonic laughed. Again, so much confusion. It honestly hurt both parents to see this hedgehog look so confused at... anything family related, they realized.

....except for Tails.

No, his counterpart had accepted Tails as little bro just fine. It was everyone else that seemed to confuse him.

Later... they could ask later.

"uhm... I guess I could stay." Sonic grinned again. "I mean- who wouldn't want Mobius' greatest hero to stay? No offense, other me."

"None taken! Afteral, I am Earth's greatest hero!" 

....so different. Yet so the same. 

Sonic the Hedgehog (2) has joined the party! 

Chapter Text

"Are you sure we can’t get you anything-"

"Its alright, Sir Donut, I really don't need much." Second Sonic said from on top of the bed, looking at Tom, who was standing a bit in front of the guest room door.

"Sir Donut" is what he had started calling Tom after finding out his nickname, "Donut Lord". The mention of nicknames gave Tails the opportunity to ask Sonic about the nicknames in the watch. The answer had been surprising.

"How come you use nicknames in your watch?"

"Tails likes it."

"Tails?" Sonic asked in surprise. His counterpart chuckled. "Kid said it wasn't fair how he got a nickname and I didn't. Well.. thats how it started. It had been a joke, honestly, but if someone were to hack into our watches, he would know who and where we are. If a new vilian were to hack the watch now, they wouldn't exactly know who "Blue Thunder" is."

"....that does make sense." Tails hummed, before he frowned. "Then how come Knuckles just got Knux?"

"That grumpy echinda got so offended when we offered him a nickname!" Sonic laughed. Knuckles just looked up in confusion.

"Why not?" Tom asked, leaning against the door. New Sonic shrugged. "Anything is better then a cave."

"...you live in a cave?"

"Ah, no- used to.. stay whenever. It was awsome! But we have a house now."

Again. We.

Who was "we"? 

Tom decided not to ask. "And ya got enough blankets and pillows?"

"Yeaaaaah Tom." The hedgehog rolled his eyes. "Go kiss your kids goodnight or something-... or whatever it is parents do."

Well. That didn't crush him. 

Tom rolled his eyes, and turned around. "You know, my version of you is my kid too?"

"And that still feels weird." 

"Yeah yeah, cause you are the great Sonic the Hedgehog. Goodnight."

"....wait." Sonic looked up at Tom again. Said human turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you Tails' and Knuckles' parents too?" Sonic asked with curiosity. Tom didn't even think. "Yeah."

"But they don’t call you mom or dad?"

"Sonic has lived way longer with us then them." Tom explained. "Tails and Knuckles just joined our family a couple months ago. They need time. But whenever they want to call us their parents, we're here."

"....good." Sonic smiled slightly, with again, one of his gentle smiles, and laid back down. He had seemed relieved..

"...hey, Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I borrow your phone? I wanna look at those articles."

"Sure." Sonic reached into his shoe again to grab his phone, and handed it to Tom without complaint. The human seemed surprised.

"...thats it? You just trust me with it?"

"Other me seems to trust you." Sonic shrugged. "Even more, Tails and Knux seem to trust you aswel, and I know how hard it is to gain their trust. So why not. Not like I have any secrets on there anyway." 

"...goodnight, Sonic."

"Goodnight Tom."

*click*

After Maddie had put their own kids to bed aswel, she joined Tom downstairs in the livingroom, looking at a phone. He looked pale. "Tom?"

"You've got to see this." Tom said without looking up, patting the spot besides him. Maddie frowned, but did as she was told. Tom handed her the phone.

GREAT HERO SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FINDS CHAOS EMERALD, HOW MANY MORE?

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AGAINST DOCTOR EGGMAN: HERE IS THE LATEST NEWS! 

SIDEKICK OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: A SIDEKICK OR MORE?

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: IS THE HERO SLOWING DOWN?

BUILDING BLOWS UP IN CITY, GREAT HERO STILL TRAPPED INSIDE.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: DEAD? 

And it just went on and on and on... articles worth years and years were to be found on the phone. Maddie gasped at the titles, feeling her heart sink.

"Great hero Sonic the Hedgehog" 

That was all he was written as.

Not as a child. A hero.

And yes, he was.

But for goodness sake the child was 15.

And it wasn't just Sonic, it seemed.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: IS HE IN LOVE?

PINK HEDGEHOG SPOTTED WITH HERO ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER NEW HERO?

HEDGEHOG VS ECHINDA: MEET THE NEWEST ADDITION! 

GREAT HERO ADOPTS ORPHAN OUT OF PITY, CITIZENS SAY IT WON'T LAST LONG.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG DOES NOT HAVE TIME FOR ANYBODY, MEDIA CLAIMS.

Now what was that supposed to mean?

"Tom."

"On it." Tom pressed the article. What he read made his blood boil.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Mobian who has the ability to go faster then the speed of sound, and has been a great hero for years, saving Mobius from the claws of Doctor Eggman time and time again. However, it is not an unknown fact that the hero has a team of "sidekicks" surrounding him, existing out of Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echinda and Amy Rose. There have been other people to help fight Eggman from time to time, but no one ever stuck around.

Sonic has often claimed that his "sidekicks" are his friends, even going as far as the claim the youngest as his brother- but there are doubts. Afteral, it is Sonic we are talking about. Too fast to keep up with, and too stubborn to slow down.

With the fox being a mutant, the pink hedgehog being a fangirl and the echinda obviously not liking the hero, it is obvious that these "heroes" are just temporary, and Sonic will soon get rid of them. Afteral, Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't have time for anybody! 

...

Were they talking about the same hedgehog upstairs? 

As much as he wanted to look at their pictures again, Tom had only asked permission for the articles. So he would need to ask that in the morning.

"Dear god.."

"Our son could have turned out like that too."

"He doesn't have parents, no family-"

"He said he used to live in caves." Tom said. "Traveling."

"Did he even go to school? How did he even meet Tails and Knuckles?" Maddie shuddered.

"Forget that- didn't you see the articles? This isn't even half of them."

Something was wrong.

Eggman didn't use as many robots as he usually did, and even these bots didn't attack with their full potential. Where was Eggman?

Wait- where even was he? What is this place?

He looked around. There was something big and red in the air.

"What does it look like I'm doing?! I'm getting the emeralds back! Tails, do you think its save for backup?"

"I'll go as close as I can!"

Who spoke? What did they say? Why did he speak?

Wait.. he was running. He had not realized that.

Stop. He wasn't running anymore. He was spindashing against something made out of cold metal. 

"HAHA! Behold, my master plan!"

He was panicking. Why was he panicking?

The air was cold. A sense of dread collected in his chest. What happened? Where is he? Why is he-

He looked at his arms. Covered in bandages and bruises. His legs looked no better.

He caught sight of his reflection on one of the robots. He was taller, darker blue, and his quills were unkept.

He looked up. All he saw was a blinding, white light. 

It fired.

He couldn't run. He was stuck.

Running is his thing. Why can't he run?

Everything became an overwhelming white. Someone was screaming. Was it himself or someone else, he didn't know. Before he suddenly understood perfectly what it said.

"SONIC!"

Sonic Wachowski woke up with a gasp, and shot up in his bed. In panic, he looked around. Where was he how did he-.... aaand this was his room.

He looked up when he heard soft snores, staring at the sleeping form of his little brother, who now had a plane-shaped bed. The fox was curled up, hugging a plushie of a squishmallow close. Sonic smiled slightly, before blinking. 

What in the world was that dream.... it had been strange.

....Sonic flinched. He regonized that dialog.

It had been the same as he had heard from the watch. 

Was that what happened to his counterpart? Why did he even dream that up?

Once Sonic heard soft talking from downstairs and checked the clock on his nightstand, he decided to get down, gently getting off his bed, cringing at the sounds that came from the floor.

As he continued to try and sneak away without waking the fox, Sonic heard him murmur in his sleep. And stopped. "..."

Sonic silently walked over to Tails' bed, then moved the blanket to cover Tails' shoulders aswel. The fox cub made a sleepy noise again as he snuggled into the blanket, making Sonic giggle and watch him fondly for a second- before leaving the atti- bedroom. Before leaving the bedroom.

Sonic walked downstairs. The lights were turned off, but he clearly heard his parents in the livingroom.

"I'm sorry but what is that robot that looks exactly like Sonic?"

"Great hero Sonic the Hedgehog has left us, sidekick has lost it"??? What in the world? What are these articles?!"

"I'm sorry is that a werewolf?"

"Mom?" Sonic called, both parents flinching, and quickly looking up again. Since he wore his pajamas (which really was just a big T-shirt) Maddie could tell that was her son. "Hi, baby. What are you doing still awake?"

"....weird dream." The hedgehog yawned, before walking towards them, and without hesitation crawling onto Tom's lap. "What ya'll doing?"

"Seeing how you risked your life on a daily basis, apparantly." Tom shrugged, and swiped to the next pic-

GREAT HERO REPLACED BY ROBOT, ECHINDA CLAIMS HE KNEW AL ALONG.

Maddie chocked on the water she had been drinking, and Tom looked like he had seen a ghost. Sonic shuddered. 

"..other me is fine now though?"

Breakfast was... something.

The kids were supposed to have school today, but to get order in the house, Maddie called them in sick, while Tom took off work. Tails and Knuckles slept peacefully in their rooms, while Sonic had fallen asleep on the couch. They decided to let them all sleep in today.

Not so surprisingly, Sonic's counterpart hadn't woken up either. When Tom went to check up on him at 10, he found him asleep, blankets tossed aside, arms and legs spread out like a starfish.

....they even slept the same.

Knuckles was the first to wake up, fully awake by the time he got upstairs. It was 10:17, and while that was late, Knuckles usually woke up much much earlier. So he really slept in this time.

Surprisingly, Sonic's counterpart woke up next, around 10:34. Maddie looked up from the eggs she had been cooking. "Morning, sleepyhead."

The only reason she could even tell them apart right now was because of the bandages. 

That, and Sonic would have hugged her. 

"Mornin'." Sonic yawned, before blinking a couple times. "If you don’t mind me asking, where is the bathroom?"

"Ah- right." Maddie quickly turned the flame down, and walked him towards the bathroom. "Your phone is on the desk. I... have some questions."

"Huh." Sonic grinned a lazy smile. "Sure. Thanks." 

Maddie left.

10:57. Knuckles went upstairs to wake up Tails. Tom woke up his other son. 

"Morning, bud."

"Too early...." Sonic whined, but still got up. 

"Its eleven. Its late." 

Knuckles came downstairs with a sleepy fox on his back. "Morning.." 

"Good morning to you too." Tom stopped. "....where is other Sonic?"

"Hasn't he come back from the bathroom?" Maddie asked from the kitchen. Tom frowned, quickly going back upstairs. He knocked on the door. "Soni-"

"How do you turn this thing off?!" 

"Sonic, please, for the love of god, come down." Tom whined, crossing his arms. Other Sonic refused. "Not with that murder machine trying to kill me!"

"Its just water!"

"Devilish debts of who knows what kind of monsters reside in!"

"Oh boy.." Maddie groaned to herself, turning off the flame of the eggs. Why had their yelling have to be so loud... she could hear them all the way from over the kitchen.

The three Mobians had already walked upstairs, and Sonic knocked on the door. "Dad?"

"Sonic for the love of god-"

"HISS!"

"Sonic Wach- the Hedgehog, get down this instant!"

"Sir Donut, do you require our assistance?" Knuckles asked, not risking to knock on the door.

"No, no- I just got a huge child here!"

"....why is the sink running?" Tails asked, his ears percking up.

"Thats it we're going in."

"NO WAIT DON'T-"

Too late.

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles yelped as the moment they opened the door, they were flooded with water, soaking all three of them, and even the floor. Tails actually almost got knocked down, managing to grab onto Knuckles in time.

Turns out, not everything was back to normal after the blast from yesterday. Considering all they had seen acting up was Tails' device, Tom and Maddie had let it rest. 

Apparently, the sink was broken too.

Water flooded everywhere.. and Sonic was on top of the bathtub like some sort of cat. Tom looked unimpressed. "Are you happy?"

"What happened?!" Sonic asked in shock, to which his counterpart pointed accusingly at the sink. "That tried to kill me!"

"Its a sink!"

"It looks like a sink! Its even worse then Eggman's bots! Why does it have to be so big?!"

"Because its human sized you pancake!"

Sonic actually felt embarrassed that this was his counterpart.

"Oh Soooniiiiic~" Tails sang, a grin forming on his face. "You act like Knuckles did with the TV-"

"Shut up!" Sonic screetched. Knuckles frowned. "What is wrong with my acting?"

"Nothing." Tails giggled. "You didn't have any electronics growing up, so its understandable for you. But he has a phone. He has seen electronic devices."

"Thats it-"

Other Sonic got down, seeing half the bathroom wasn't flooded anymore. "I was trying to turn it off, which is when your genius father walked inside. He tried to fix it. And turned your bathroom into a swimming pool."

"No I didn't!" Tom defended himself. But seeing that his shirt was soaking wet, the others didn't believe a word he said.

"....our insurance is going to hate us." Maddie said from the door, looking over the damage. And realized that the sink still was on.

Tails seemed to pick up on that aswel and quickly flew up to it, twisting some screws- and fixed it was.

Knuckles looked at Tails in shock. "Magic!"

Other Sonic looked surprised, before he grinned. "Witchcraft." 

Sonic Wachowski looked between them. Before playing along with his counterpart. "Wizardry." 

"No-" Tails slapped himself on the head. Both Sonic's laughed, while Knuckles looked confused.

And if Tom saw Sonic's counterpart sending some sad stares at Knuckles as they walked downstairs.. well, he ignored it.

Chapter Text

"-I win!" Other Sonic cheered, sending a grin to his counterpart. Sonic was shocked. "I thought you said you didn't have parents??"

"Doesn't mean I don’t play games." The other chuckled, swinging with the console. "I beat Knuckles all the time."

"....you actually got Knuckles to play?"

"Was hard to convince him, but he wanted to try."

"Magical. I still can't get him to touch it. He claims its magic."

"...huh." the taller thought. "...well, technically-"

"No."

"Sonic!" A young voice was quickly between the duo with starry eyes and papers in hand, pushing a drawing that was obviously drawn by the child.

Why was it so obvious?

Smart or not.. the kid drew like an eight-year-old. The messy drawing (which Sonic thought must be blueprints for some machine) was drawn with crayons, the title "Portal" written on top.

"I had so many ideas I just wanted to show!-"

"Woah, bud, slow down." The other quickly ruffled his bangs, making Tails laugh and try to pull away. "No need to go so fast, huh? You're gonna make your head hurt."

"No need to go so fast."

Both Wachowski's looked at Sonic with wide eyes. Other Sonic didn't seem to notice, holding out a controller. "Wanna beat other me in Smash Bros?"

Tails laughed, putting the blueprints down. "I could never beat Son- you. I could never beat you no matter how hard I try, you're too awsome!"

While that made Sonic grin.. he noticed a frown on the face of his counterpart. Before he grinned challangingly. "Well- other me couldn't beat me yet. Knuckles won't try and your parents-" he made sure to say. "-aren't available right now. Wanna try and play, little buddy? We can play as teams, I saw."

Well.. Tails now had a gleam in his eyes Sonic had never seen before- but his counterpart seemed to regonize. His eyes would have turned into stars if they could, smiling brightly. "Yeah!!" 

"Welp- I am not playing." That made Tails pout, before Sonic Wachowski handed him his controller. "Sorry, bud- but I'm bored of getting beat."

"Sounds rich." Tails rolled his eyes. "Coming from someone who always wins."

"Yeah yeah, have fun." Sonic waved, leaving the room. He went to the backyard, where Maddie was sitting in a chair, reading a book. "Mom?"

Maddie looked up, and smiled quickly. "How was the game?"

"He's surprisingly good for someone who claims to have never played the game. He beat me."

"....he beat you?" Maddie asked in disbelief, before thinking. "....well, I suppose thats not surprising." 

"He cheated!"

"Sure did." Maddie patted the spot next to her, and Sonic took a seat.

"...so. What do you think?"

"Of what?"

"All this." Maddie pointed at the door, before looking concerned at her son. "Are you alright, honey?"

"Yeah?" Sonic frowned. "Where is this concern coming from?"

"It kinda.. scared me." Maddie closed her book and turned around to face her son properly. "He's.. you, Sonic. You could have turned out like him easily. Thanks god you didn't.. but you could have."

"Our lifes don’t sound too different.." Sonic hummed. "He just grew up alone on Mobius and I on earth."

"Exactly. Thats what scares me." Maddie shuddered. "Your lifes are pretty much the same, other then him always fighting Robotnik. You could have turned out like-"

"I wouldn't have." Sonic smiled slightly, before he hesitated. "Afteral, he... he never had a mom. I did."

"..." Maddie silently hugged him close, and Sonic did not protest.

The peace was broken within a minute when someone suddenly shouted-

"I win?! I win!!!"

Maddie and Sonic looked at each other, before quickly rushing inside. "Is everyone-"

"Mrs- Maddie!" Tails was smiling brightly and couldn't sit still, flying in front of the human's face. "I won! I beat Sonic!"

"..." Sonic stared dumbfounded between Tails and his counterpart- who didn't even look upset. He pretended to be though after a second. "No fair! Cheatery! He claimed the best character!"

"I beat Sonic! The Sonic!" Tails cheered. Maddie and Sonic stared at each other. Never did they see Tails acting like.. this.

It took Maddie a second before she realized.

Tails was flying. Flying. He had been shy to even make apparent he had a second tail and he was flying.

Most importantly.. he called Maddie by her name. Not "Mrs. Wachowski" Maddie.

Perhaps he just got excited at finally beating the hero.. 

Maddie took full advantage of the situation, snatching Tails out of the air and crushing him in a hug. "Good job, baby! See! You can beat Sonic too! I am so proud of you!"

Tails giggled. That gleam in his eyes had not left.

As Maddie and Tails went to get ice cream to celebrate, Sonic turned to his counterpart with crossed arms. Second Sonic looked up. "What?"

"Tails has never beat me before." Sonic wasn't mad. Just confused. "And you just beat me."

"Little guy was way too good for me." "Sonic" collapsed backwards onto the couch. It took Sonic a second to piece it together.

"....you let him win." He stated. He watched his counterparts smile grow. "Maybe."

"But why?" Sonic knew himself.. he loved winning. He just left cause he kept losing. So why...

"Didn't you see his reaction?" "Sonic" folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. "Totally worth it."

"..." Sonic watched as Maddie and Tails came back inside, Maddie holding a box filled with different types of icecream. He saw Tails had picked his favorite- mint, like always. "Which one would you boys like to have?"

"Chocolate!" Sonic quickly grabbed it from the box, thanking Maddie in return. As Maddie asked his counterpart which one he wanted and listed the flavors, Sonic expected his counterpart to choose the same flavor as him.

Nope.

He was left in confusion as "Sonic" wanted to try the flavor with mints. 

"-and then once I add those red wires in the center, the robot should be able to function correctly!" 

"And its supposed to follow you around?" "Sonic" asked with interest, taking another bite of bread. Honestly, Maddie had cooked an amazing dinner.. and all he ate was bread. Almost like he had seemed afraid of touching anything Maddie cooked.

"Well, not exactly." Tails thought. "Its a voice recorder. It records stuff. I just disguised it as some toy."

"Thats awsome!"

"Sonic" had been listening to Tails for half an hour.

Sonic Wachowski tried to listen, but he hadn't understood a thing Tails had said. By now, he had already drifted off to his fantasy land, only pretending to listen.

The other was actually listening. And understanding, it seemed.

Knuckles scoffed, quickly finishing his plate. "Are you going to trap voices in boxes the same way the "phone" makes little copies of us?"

"I'm not trapping them!" Tails whined, lowering his ears. He was honestly prepared for the magic talk again, but "Sonic" cut him of before he could. "Knux. You know how you can draw?"

"....yes?" Knuckles frowned. "What does a drawing have to do with the magic box?"

"If I were to draw you, I wouldn't be trapping you in the paper, would I?"

"For that you would need actual skill, hedgehog." Sonic chocked on his bread, Tails almost spit out the water he had been drinking. Sonic Wachowski frowned at him. "I atleast don’t snap a pencil in half the moment I hold it!"

"I have no reason to hold a pencil." He thought, before turning to Sonic's counterpart. "But I understand your implication. Are these "pictures" like drawings?" 

"Yeah!" 

"....I see." 

The other four stared in disbelief between Sonic and Knuckles. The moment Knuckles had left to wash his hands, Tom asked. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"I have been trying to convince him that electronics aren't magic for months!"

"Oh. That." He shrugged. "Well, no idea. Just did the same explanation I had done with my Knuckles when he left Angel Island." 

".....other me. You gotta convince him to play games."

"I want chili dogs in return."

At some point, after dinner, it wasn't hard to miss that it was harder and harder for the youngest to stay awake. Not surprising, considering it should be his bedtime.

It wasn't Tom or Maddie that mentioned it though.

"Sonic" took one glance at the clock, then at Tails, looked on his phone and subtly said: "Geez.. its late Wonder if the others got some rest.."

"Late?" Maddie looked at the clock, then got up. "Tails, honey. Bedtime."

Tails nodded, quickly giving his brothers and father a hug, hesitating once he got to Sonic's counterpart. He seemed to notice, quickly pulling him into a hug and ruffling his bangs, before Maddie and Tails went upstairs.

By now, Tom had noticed the behavior aswel.

That hedgehog wasn't acting like a child. He was acting like an adult.

"Hey, Knux." 

"Knuckles."

"Sure. Knuckles, wanna play those videogames tomorrow?"

Knuckles raised a brow. "I do not participate in such activity."

"Come oooon, my Knuckles plays."

"Me and him are not the same person."

The hedgehog huffed, then crossed his arms. "Come on, you'll like it. Where is the honor if you don’t try?"

The echidna looked offended once those words were spoken, and Tom winced. Oh he was so dead.

Sonic Wachowski silently backed away. 

"I have tried-"

"And then what? Quit?" Sonic huffed. "You can't get everything right first try, Knucklehead. You try. And try. And keep trying. Maybe you will succeed, maybe not. But-"

"Thats enough, Sonic." Tom warned, sending him a disapproving look. "We do not hurt each others feeling-"

"No, Sir Donut." Knuckles cut him off, a thinking look on his face. ".....the hedgehog got a point. Very well. I shall try again tomorrow, Sonic."

Sonic smiled in victory, "cool" wiped under his nose with a finger, then went back to his phone. Tom and Sonic looked shocked at each other.

"You don’t have to tuck me in, ya know-"

"No. But I wanna." Tom threw him one of his T-Shirts to use as pajamas, and although the other had been hesitant, he put it on anyway. "...it feels like I'm wearing a dress."

"Get used to it. Everything here your size is child-sized." Tom shrugged. Sonic grinned. "Great.."

"..say, Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you do that with Knuckles?"

"Easy. Its Knuckles." Sonic fell backwards on the bed, folding his arms behind his quills. "He doesn't need soft talk. Just be honest with him, even if it sounds harsh. He's strong."

"Good to know.." Tom sighed, closing the lights. "...as for Tails... I know we have known them only for a couple months.. but you've known him longer then that, haven't you?"

"...something like that." Even in the dark, Tom saw the both proud and fond look on his face, and smiled slightly. 

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

"Hm.. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sonic."

Just as Tom was about to shut the door, he heard Sonic call out; "Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"You owe me chilli dogs."

Tom snorted. "Goodnight, Sonic." And closed the door.

*beep beep beep beep beep*

"Sonic?! SONIC?!" She kept calling over and over, while the echidna stared with shocked eyes at where the hedgehog had stood seconds earlier. Had... had he actually?

The pink hedgehog checked her watch. 

Blue Thunder: Disconnected

"It worked?" The doctor seemed just as surprised as everyone else, before breaking of into maniacal laughter. "It worked! Gone is the hero you all once knew! Behold, citizens of Mobius, I win!"

*beep beep beep beep beep beep*

Everything was too loud. There was beeping and screaming and chaos everywhere. Even the doctor's machines were either going crazy or glitching all together.

"Guys!?" The fox called panicked from the plane, which the echidna could hear faint warning signals from that didn't reasure him. "What was that blast?! Where is Sonic?! Are you guys okay?! What is happening?!"

*beep beep beep beep beep beep*

"You PIECE OF SHIT!" The pink hedgehog screamed, grabbing her hammer and charging at the doctor with full force. She never cursed.

"What did you do?! Where is Sonic?!"

"Swing all you want, rodent! I WIN!"

"Knuckles what is happening down there?! Guys?!"

The echidna couldn't react. His eyes were glued to the spot where his friend had stood minutes earlier.

Chapter Text

"Morning, other me.~" Other Sonic grinned from the couch, watching his counterpart turn to him in surprise. "...morning. you're up this early?"

"I wouldn't normally but I was restless." The other collapsed backward onto the couch. "Please tell me we can run after breakfast."

"We can now, too."

His eyes lit up, and he got up. "Yes! Finally!" 

Sonic wanted to laugh, only now realizing that Knuckles wasn't downstairs yet. That was odd.. he was usually up first.

"Let me just tell mom." Sonic nodded, running to the kitchen. Once all was set, they took off. 

"Morning Wade!"

"Morning Sonic!!'

"He didn't even notice there are two of us?" Sonic asked in surprise, before looking up. And his eyes went wide. 

His counterpart was running backward, hands folded behind his head, grinning challengingly at him, and was running ahead.

"How did you-?!"

"You're too slow!!" His counterpart laughed- before he just ran off.

"H-hey!" Sonic tried to go faster too. But no matter what he did.. he couldn't keep up.

How did he get so fast?!

"How are you doing that?!" Sonic yelled, his counterpart slowing down to run beside him again. He sent a teasing grin. "Years of practice, Eggman attacks, and lots and lots of rings." 

As Sonic pouted, the other patted his head. "It's okay. You'll get fast, someday!"

Sonic huffed. "I am fast!"

"Uh-huh. Then catch me!" And he was gone again.

Oh oh ohhh it's on!

They returned half an hour later, with Sonic Wachowski looking extremely out of it, and the other just a bit tired. Both parents looked up once the kids returned. "Woah- Sonic what happened?"

Sonic just grumbled, walking towards the couch and collapsing on it. He was sweating a lot.

The other just stretched his arms, "still got it." Then winced, rubbing over one of the bandages. That got Maddie's attention. "How about we check your injuries after breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me." 

"....Sonic. take a shower." 

"It's not normal fast!" Sonic continued, helping Maddie clean up the table. Maddie snorted. "You are not normal fast either, mister."

"But he was faster, mom. Faster. And he didn't even care about it!" He stopped. "....wonder what else he can do on battlefield-"

"No."

"Okay okay." Sonic gave Maddie the final plate, and then they both walked inside the living room- and were met with a surprise. 

Super Smash Bros was again, on the screen. Which was normal, the kids played it a lot these days.

It was the people playing it.

However he had managed to do it, Knuckles was holding one of the controllers, somehow not breaking it. He stared confused at the controller and screen, then back at the blue hedgehog, who took the controller from his hand and turned it around, so he was holding it properly. Next, there was Tails, who was sitting on Sonic's lap- Sonic grabbing his controller from behind, both the older and younger mobian holding onto it. Tails suddenly cheered. "Knuckles! You got the power ball!"

"Quick press X!" Sonic instructed. Knuckles did as he was told, watching in surprise as his character powered up. "Wow.."

"See what you've been missing out on!" Sonic laughed. Tails grinned. "Sonic is better now cause he practiced more, so we gotta practice as well to keep up!"

"..." Knuckles just nodded in response. "I see.." 

"..hey, other me!" Sonic waved. The younger waved back in confusion. "..." 

Sonic thought he had been joking last night. Nope. 

"Blue, hun, I gotta check your bandages," Maddie called. Sonic nodded, gently pushing Tails off his lap, and getting up. Sonic looked up in confusion. "Blue?"

"Sonic" rolled his eyes, and Maddie snorted. "I couldn't forget it after Tails brought it up. Blue Blurr, Blue Thunder, Blue Devil, Blue Justice... seemed fitting."

"Your nicknames are better." Blue mouthed to Sonic as he walked over to the older woman. Sonic coughed. 

"Sonic, come join us!" Tails smiled brightly, holding his controller towards the hedgehog. Sonic hummed, and sat beside him- but didn't take it. "How about you and Knuckles finish your game.."

For whatever reason, Tails had looked disappointed.

"He's jealous," Blue said the moment they entered the kitchen, and with some help from Maddie, sat on the counter. Maddie looked up. "Hm?"

"Other me. He's jealous." As Maddie was grabbing the first aid kit, Blue was already ripping off the bandages, quickly being stopped by the human. "Easy." She grabbed his hands. Then "What do you mean jealous?"

"He acts confused when I know how to handle Tails and Knux, he tries not to look bothered with how they act with me and has been clinging to you guys more since I got here." Blue chuckled to himself. "Tails got like that too when I and Knux first met. Wouldn't leave my side 'cause he thought I'll replace him."

"...." Maddie didn't say anything, instead soaked a small towel with some water and started dabbing it on his arm. "How did you deal with it?"

"A long talk about how he's my dearest little bro and I'll never let him go. I'm stuck to him like glue." That made Maddie smile softly. That didn't sound like anything her Sonic would say. But this one was different...

"You are a great big brother and lovely parent, Sonic." 

That made him turn red. "P-parent?"

"I see the way you look at Tails. And I saw those pictures." His face turned even redder. "Ah... you didn't... show anyone, did you?"

"Don't worry, hun. I didn't. It's our secret." Maddie winked, rewrapping the bandages around his arm. "Is there anything you would like to do today?"

"Run? Play games.~"

"Aren't you bored, stuck inside?" Maddie asked, taking the bandages off his chest. She dapped it with a damp towel, seeing his injuries there had healed. Blue grinned. "....eh. Pretty much. But I'm supposed to be hidden, hm?"

"Doesn't mean you should be stuck." Maddie hummed. "In this town, a lot of people know of you guys already. It's just outside the town that you should be careful. How about you meet some of Sonic's friends?"

"...I'll like that." As he said that, he silently looked at his watch.

"...oh my god."

"Juliet-"

"Oh my god."

"There's two of you?!" Jay asked, staring in shock at the second speedster. Blue awkwardly held out his hand. "Hi.."

Juliet and Jay, two of Sonic's newest friends. He had more, but Maddie decided it would be best to introduce the twins first. They had gotten along well with everyone.

Well, speaking of everyone...

Tails had stayed at the house, to continue working on the portal idea and see what materials were needed, and Tom stayed with him. Knuckles came with Maddie and Sonic, having taken Ozzie's leash and now walking him somewhere near.

"These two insisted on calling me Blue." Blue laughed, smiling kindly at them. Jay looked surprised while Juliet snorted. "Blue? Sonic you're putting your talent to shame."

"It wasn't my idea!" Sonic huffed, crossing his arms. "Mom insisted on it! And I need to get to know him before I decide on a nickname!"

"Is that why we still don’t have one?"Jay formed a heart with his hands, before breaking it. "I'm heartbroken."

"Jay-"

"Betrayed deceived and stabbed in the back. I shall never be the same." 

"Ignore him. He thinks the world is his theatre." Juliet giggled, making Blue laugh. "I have a friend who's the same! She'll turn anything into a musical."

"Anything can be a musical if you look hard enough.~" 

"Amy would love you." 

Maddie chuckled at the kids, before noticing her kid wasn't joining the conversation. Looking down, she saw Sonic watching them with a look of confusion- and jealousy. She bent down. "Hun, they're your friends, you know that right?"

Sonic just huffed. 

Blue seemed to notice. Sonic yelped as his arm was suddenly grabbed, and pulled into the group. 

"Other me, you didn't tell me you have a squad." He grinned, before pointing at the twins. "You should make a movie with them about your adventure."

"Yeah-!"

"No."

Sonic pulled his arm away, sending Blue a look. If he was just trying to include him or show him he's better, he honestly couldn't tell. Blue frowned, quickly pulling Sonic to his side again. When the twins started arguing about theatre, he quickly whispered.

"I don’t know them, they're your friends. I'm not trying to replace you, ya know." 

And let go of Sonic again. Sonic seemed surprised, especially when Blue just joined their conversation again without a problem. 

He seemed familiar with the concept. Had this happened to him before?

"....now I've seen it all." Carl scratched his head, staring wide-eyed at the newest hedgehog. "I've been trying to capture ya for years.. and there's been two this entire time?"

"I've been here for two days." Blue crossed his arms. "Though not like anyone could capture me, even if they tried!"

"I know." Carl huffed, sitting in his chair. "I told ya- I tried."

"And why are we letting him meet Carl?" Sonic asked uncertainly, sending a questioning look to his mother. Maddie chuckled awkwardly. "He already got called crazy for seeing you... I didn't want him to lose it if he accidentally saw your double."

"....makes sense. I think."

"Care for a chili dog?" Both Sonic and Blue's eyes lit up, and at the same time, they said "Yeah!"

"..." Carl looked at Maddie, who just held up her shoulders. He then invited them all inside.

"So, ye're both the fastest hedgehog's alive, or is one of ya faster than the other?" 

Sonic grumbled, face turning red, while Blue wiped his finger under his nose. "Me.~"

"That was just luck." 

"Uh-huh." Blue laughed, leaning back on the couch. "I won, fair and square. If anything, you had the advantage of knowing this place. I don't."

"Not everyone is awake in the mornings!"

"We have the same sleep schedule!"

Sonic huffed. Blue rolled his eyes. "Admit it."

"Never."

"Boys, no need to argue-"

"Yeah! Listen to your mom." Blue looked at him sternly. Sonic rolled his eyes. "At least I have a mom!"

"At least I don’t have anyone to boss me around."

"At least I know what it means to be a kid."

"At least I know what it means to be a brother."

"At least I know what it means to not be old and grey-"

"Enough." Maddie send them both stern looks, and Sonic quickly looked down. "Sorry."

Blue huffed. Maddie frowned. "And?"

"You don’t get to boss me around," Blue mumbled to himself, earning a strange look from Carl. "You're not my mom."

..honestly, that felt strange to hear. 

"You still have to apologize." 

"For what? Being right?"

"Blue!" Maddie scolded.

"Tell me what I did wrong and I will apologize." 

"You're talking back?" Maddie asked. Blue laughed. "Carl asked us who is faster. I said me. What wrong did I do?"

"You-" Maddie stopped. "..." Blue waited patiently. 

It was Sonic that started it. Not Blue.

"...I apologize, Blue." 

"Thanks." Blue turned back to Carl, with Sonic feeling electricity spark between his quills. 

"....I am still faster."

"Oh, that's it-" Sonic got up. He would not settle for second place! "You, me. Race. Now."

"..." a smile grew on his counterpart's face, and he got up. "Oh, but other me, I am gravely injured and I don’t know the way. How unfair, Blue Devil."

"Weird that you're the one saying it, Blue Thunder."

"..."

Both burst out laughing, much to the adult's relief. Before Sonic held out his hand. "No, now seriously, a friendly competition?"

Blue grinned, shaking his hand. "Deal. You owe me one of those squishmallow things after I beat your butt."

"....a squishmallow?"

"I saw the thing in your room. I want one." Maddie snorted, covering her mouth, wondering if she should tell him that belonged to Tails. She decided against it.

Sonic looked surprised before he laughed. "Fine. But you owe me your secret on how you always win on Super Smash Bros."

"Deal."

They shook their hands again before Sonic suddenly yelled. "Start!" And ran off.

"Hey! No fair!" Blue ran after him, leaving a gust of wind behind. Maddie and Carl looked at him wide-eyed.

"...that kid is something alright," Carl muttered, with Maddie sighing to herself. 

Sonic laughed as he ran, turning around to see if he could spot Blue. Nope. He couldn't see him.

Pleased, Sonic turned to the front so he could run faster- only for his eyes to go wide in surprise.

Blue was running in front of him.

"When did you catch up-?!"

"You can't beat me! Too slow!!" Blue winked, before going faster again. Sonic huffed, speeding up right after him. "You're talking to the fastest hedgehog alive!"

"Second." Blue thought. "Or maybe actually fourth. I'm certain Shadow and Silver are faster than you. And Metal. That makes you fifth. And that's not even counting Tails and Knuckles!"

"I don’t even know who half those people are!" Sonic yelled, electricity spiking off of him. 

"Faster than you, that's who they are!" As he turned around to stare challengingly at Sonic again, one of the bandages around his leg came loose. Sonic's eyes widened. "Other me- be careful-"

"Or what? You'll lose?~"

"Your bandage-" 

Blue stepped on the bandage. His eyes went wide as he tripped over his own feet, being forced to stop running and rolling onto the ground. He yelled as he tumbled down the hill, halfway turning his rolling into a spindash- and went splat against one of the nearby trees, causing it to crack. 

Sonic stopped running, looking at his counterpart in shock. "Other me?!"

Blue lay upside down at the bottom of a tree, looking dazed. One of his legs was bent the wrong way.

"......and Knuckles said he would be the one to break my legs."

"You-" Blue laughed.

Tails was humming to himself, calculating something in his head, before writing the number down. 

Let's see... sure, he could get metal, and Tom had a toolbox- which the fox had already upgraded. Multiple times. Tails grinned. 

Though he wasn't sure if they had enough screws.. he would have to ask Tom. He wrote that down too.

The design for the portal seemed realistic enough. Since Blue had said that Eggman had used the chaos emeralds, Tails would use the master emerald as a source of energy. (After having gained the okay from Knuckles) Of course, he would have to create some sort of barrier or shield to make sure that the master emerald didn't use too much power.

He had the tools, just needed more materials. Metal, some screws, a special kind of screwdriver, an anti-matter battery-

Tails stopped.

He dropped his pencil.

......oh no. 

His pupils became small, and frantically, the fox read his paper again to make sure he read that right.

He read it right.

He read the needed tools and materials again.

And again.

And again.

He paled. "Sonic's gonna kill me.." he whined, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

Chapter Text

Knuckles had been having the time of his life, running after Ozzie while the dog did as he pleased. "Forward, dog! We shall practice the arts of speed and beat the hedgehog into pulp!"

Ozzie barked, running faster. Knuckles laughed, running after him like some sort of child.

Perhaps Maddie should have explained what she meant by "walking the dog"

And maybe she should have explained what the leash was for... 

"Enemies could be spotted at any minute, warrior." Knuckles decided, holding the leash like some sort of rope. "But worry not! I have had years of training. I shall protect you until you are big and strong!"

The dog barked again, licking Knuckles face. Knuckles frowned. ".....and when you stop being cute."

"Knuckles!!" someone yelled, Knuckles almost throwing his "rope" at the blue blur, but stopped once he recognized his brother instead. 

"Sonic! I mistook you for an enemy."

"Yeah yeah whatever I need your he- .....what did you do with Ozzie's leash?"

"Is that what you call ropes on earth?" Knuckles asked. Sonic looked extremely confused before he grumbled.

"...later. Knuckles other me got hurt!" 

Knuckles' eyes went wide. "He got attacked by enemies?"

"Noooo!" Sonic huffed, before grabbing his arm, trying to drag the echidna along- which of course, didn't work. "Just come help me."

"Wouldn't Maddie be a better fit for this task?" Knuckles still went along, and Ozzie followed. Sure, Knuckles definitely knew some medical stuff, but Maddie was a doctor. Besides, Knuckles didn't have any of his herbs here..

"That's the thing.." Sonic whined. "....I can't get him to Maddie."

"Explain."

"Just take a look."

The walk took 10 minutes, Knuckles growing more and more confused by the second. What was going on? This was taking too long.

Well, he got his answer.

"Hi, Knux~"

Sonic looked at his counterpart. Knuckles blinked.

Blue was laying on the ground. 

And his right leg was bent the wrong way.

".....how in the world did you manage to do that, Sonic's more worthy counterpart?"

"Hey!"

Blue laughed, turning to his stomach. His leg snapped.

He almost screamed, quickly covering his mouth with a hand. "....!!!"

Sonic covered his ears, Knuckles had to look away. "See now? I can't carry him."

Knuckles nodded in response, walking over. Very carefully, he made Blue turn around, before picking him up bridal style to not irritate his leg further. Blue huffed. "What's with the gentleness?"

"You are injured. I shall bring you to the town healer."

"Maddie."

"I shall bring you to Maddie."

Blue huffed. Knuckles started walking, with Sonic following beside him, now having attached Ozzie back to his leash. "For someone who claims to be a hero you sure are reckless."

"I normally have Tails to make sure I'm fine. Didn't have to be careful."

"The fox is not here. You have to be more careful."

"..." Blue's expression fell. "I know."

Tom had been sitting on the couch, worried out of his mind, waiting for his family to return.

It had been hours and neither Maddie nor Sonic returned his calls. Had something happened?

He wouldn't be surprised. Not with Blue having shown.

(Well.. his son is Sonic. He seemed to be a magnet for trouble.)

There hadn't been a single peep from Tails, either. He had locked himself upstairs, doing whatever it is the genius did. Tom had seen the fox take his toolbox, so he figured Tails was working on some project. He had to remember to make space for him in the garage.

Then finally, Tom heard the door.

He got up. He saw Ozzie running past him.

"Maddie!" He called out, running towards them. "Where have you all been?! If I didn't know any better I would have thought Robotnik came back agai-..."

Speechless, Tom stopped his rant.

Sonic and Knuckles were taking off their shoes, while Maddie was struggling to lock the door because she was holding a blue hedgehog in her arms.

Said hedgehog had a cast around one of his legs. He seemed displeased.

"I don’t have to be carried around like a baby- I can still walk!"

"Your leg was snapped in half." Maddie reminded him, handing Blue over to Knuckles. Blue grumbled.

"....do I even want to know?" Tom asked. Maddie shook her head.

"Other me slipped over one of his bandages during our race." Sonic huffed. His annoyed tone didn't match his worried face. That had looked painful..

"As if he wasn't injured enough!" Maddie rubbed her eyes, before taking off her jacket. "It took hours to set it right at the clinic."

"I have faster healing than average Mobians, I will be fine in a couple of hours!"

"I doubt it, hedgehog." Knuckles walked inside, before gently placing him on the couch. "I have seen Lady Maddie work with her animals, and with our version of you. That break will not heal for another couple of days."

"Aww come on!" Blue threw himself backward. Knuckles patted his head.

"Worry not, soldier. A normal person would be on bed rest for weeks. You just need a couple of days."

"It's still horrible!" The hedgehog huffed. He never broke anything! Why would he break it now?! 

"Too bad." Maddie crossed her arms. "You should have been more careful."

"You're the one who did my bandages.." Blue grumbled." Sonic gave him a light slap on his shoulder.

"Come on, Blue Color. You would enjoy this game as well!"

"I don't wanna play Smash Bros, Knuckles."

Knuckles who asked someone to play a game. What did Blue do with him?

"It's a different game!" Sonic was just happy Knuckles was willing to give it a try. "It's called Mario Bros."

"....." Blue looked away with crossed arms. A pillow was now set under his broken leg.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Come oooon. I thought you were fun." 

".....get Tails to play and I'm game."

Sonic smiled, although he was confused. Why did his counterpart keep insisting on Tails? 

He didn't care, though. Tails was awesome! 

"Sure thing." Sonic got up, running upstairs. He didn't hear the small exchange between the leftover Mobians.

"Blue.. the fox was busy."

"Exactly. He's been up there for hours. He needs a break."

Knocking on the attic door, Sonic sang. "Oh, Taaaaaaiiiiiiils. My dearest and sweetest little bro, would you care for a friendly game of Mario Bros?~"

"..."

"Miiiiiillleeeeees.~"

"..."

"...Tails?" His smile turned to a frown. Why wasn't he answering? He opened the door to his room, climbing inside. "Why aren't you answ- Woah."

The floor of the room was covered with crumpled-up paper balls.

"....are you trying to make a pool?"

Sonic looked around for the fox, quickly finding him sitting on his bed- his eyes were wide, and clearly he was frustrated.

"-But if I replace the battery with the chaos emerald-... no then I need another replacement for the emerald too! Ugh!" He crumpled up that paper too and threw it away. 

"..." Sonic walked over, ignoring the fox's ramblings and placing a hand on his shoulders. 

Tails jumped out of his skin and yelped before he caught sight of Sonic. "O-oh. Hi Sonic... back so soon?"

........he had been back for half an hour and had been late...

"You okay, little bro?" Sonic smiled slightly. Tails numbly nodded, looking at the paper balls on the floor. 

"...say.. we were gonna play Mario Bros. Care to join?"

Tails nodded again, and got up, pushing away any trash on the ground with his feet. Sonic frowned, grabbing one of the papers on the floor, and opening it.

Blueprints for a portal. 

But most of it had been scratched away.

Getting Tails to play too proved to be a good idea. 

Knuckles and Sonic both shared a controller, Tails, and Blue the other one. They really needed to buy a third.

Sonic was going to show Knuckles how to play, and Tails was going to show Blue. 

"So we are the green Italian Plumber?"

"Luigi. Yes." 

Blue grinned, making his character walk.. before throwing Mario off a cliff.

"Hey!" Sonic looked offended. Blue laughed. "I'm trying to show Knuckles how to play!"

"Fine, fine. I will crush you later!"

".....you are not supposed to compete against each other, Blue."

"But then why can I do this?" He threw a shell at Mario, which Sonic quickly made him jump over. He glared. Tails muffled his giggle with his hand. 

"You seem to have the controls under control-"

"Wha? No way." 

Suddenly Blue forgot how the controls work, having Tails explain it all to him for 15 minutes. Knuckles and Sonic were done (sorta) as Knuckles now at least understood how to move his character. 

And he liked the purpose of this game.

"So the princess has been kidnapped by the enemy, and I and the green plumber will rescue the princess?"

"Yes."

"Finally! A worthy game!" Knuckles smiled widely. "I shall find the monster and beat him to a pulp! Tails, join me!"

"One second." Tails watched what Blue was doing, and smiled. "Yeah! You did it!"

"So that's how you jump..." Blue hummed.

"But you already jumped bef-"

"I said so that's how you jump." Blue hissed, staring at his counterpart with lidded eyelids, before turning back to Tails, and ruffling the hair on his head. "You explained it perfectly littl-.... Tails. Thank you!"

Tails was beaming. His smile was blinding, clearly proud of himself. He just explained something to Sonic! And he did good!

Sonic shut his mouth. He didn't understand why his counterpart kept pretending not to know stuff in front of Tails, but the fox seemed to enjoy explaining-.....

...

His eyes went wide, looking between Blue and Tails. Blue and Knuckles had started the game, playing the easiest level the be sure they understood.

Sonic stared.

Tails enjoyed explaining. 

That's why Blue kept playing dumb.

But the game yesterday?

He thought about it slightly and quickly realized. Tails had been so proud of himself that he was able to beat him. Him. The Sonic the Hedgehog. 

....he did that on purpose. 

Sonic inhaled, before suddenly being handed the controller by Knuckles. Looking forward, he saw Blue do the same. He looked sad when he looked at Tails...

Sonic and Tails went to the next level, which was underground.

And Sonic.

Sonic let Tails get ahead.

They all had to go to bed early today. They couldn't skip school forever, sadly.

"But moooooom do we have to?" Sonic whined, following Maddie upstairs. Tails was flying from behind. They had already said goodnight to Knuckles, who went to his own room downstairs with Tom.

"You have to go back, Sonic."

"But Blue doesn't have to go to bed!"

"He doesn't have school," Maddie said, climbing the stairs. Perhaps they should enroll him too?

Her eyes went wide once she opened to door. ".....Tails."

"Yeah?"

"The floor." 

Tails flew up. He winced. "Ah... sorry Mrs. Wa- Maddie." 

Maddie sighed, then smiled, getting inside the room. "It's alright. Just clean this mess up tomorrow, okay?"

Tails nodded. Sonic had already walked towards his bed, pulling the blanket over himself. Maddie tucked Tails in, kissed him on his head, before doing the same for Sonic, and left.

Sonic stayed silent until he was sure Maddie left. "Hey, Tails?"

"Hm?"

"You seemed upset, earlier." Sonic sat up. "What's with all the papers?"

"..." Tails whined, pulling the blanket over himself. The older frowned. 

"Hey.. you okay?"

"..." Tails got up. He seemed annoyed. "I was trying to work on a plan for the portal."

"I see that. Is something wrong with it?"

"..." Tails sighed. "I can't build it."

Sonic's eyes went wide. "What- what do you mean you can't build it? You can build anything!"

"Not this.." the fox curled up. 

"Why not?"

"I.. I don't have all the parts necessary." 

"That's it?" Sonic sighed in relief. "We can ask Tom to buy them."

"These aren't tools you can just buy, Sonic." 

"...are they expensive?"

Tails shook his head.

"Are they from another country?" 

"....sorta."

Sonic smiled. "We can ask Tom to order some. That means they bring it from one place to another."

"..." Tails didn't look reassured. Clearly, he was holding some information back.

"...Tails? Dad can order-"

"The tools don't exist."

That made Sonic stop. "...what do you mean they don’t exist? How else would you know of them?"

Tails whined, before taking a deep breath. The hedgehog was losing his patience. "Tails. Can we buy these tools or not?"

"We can." Sonic sighed.

".......on Mobius." 

Sonic choked on his breath. Then looked at his brother in shock.

Tails looked just as upset as Sonic felt. 

Chapter Text

"So.. how was school today?" Tom smiled at the kids, who he had not been able to see all day. He brought them to school, then went to work. He hadn't been home all day.

Maddie herself had taken the day off. She hadn't trusted Blue alone in the house. And for a good reason, too.

"I know you're bored, hun, which is why I brought a movie- Sonic the Hedgehog! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Making my great escape. You can't trap me in this prison!"

"Maddie, I shall capture the fool!"

"Fool-?!"

....Tails still needed to repair the TV Blue and Knuckles had crashed into.

Sonic and Tails seemed.. off. 

Knuckles smiled, taking a handful of grapes even though he had a plate of food in front of him. "My special tutor arrived at school today! She said she wanted to check what we're learning to help me study."

"Ah, was that today?" Tom hummed. "Then Mrs. Alice should arrive tomorrow.. should we cancel?"

Knuckles frowned. "Why?"

"Because of me," Blue grumbled, trying to get off Maddie's lap. Maddie held him tighter in place.

"Either you stay here or I'm tying you down to a chair."

"I'll take the chair!"

"....why are you even holding him, Mads?"

"He tries to run the moment I let go."

"I want freedom!"

"Perhaps don't smother him that much?"

Maddie sighed, letting go. Blue managed to sit on the empty chair beside her, clearly displeased. "Sonic is much easier." She told herself. 

Blue rolled his eyes, before looking at the other kids. "I don't pull all-nighters, at least." He deadpanned.

"All-nighters-..."

Sonic seemed nervous. He hadn't even touched a single thing on his plate. And Tails was dozing off in his chair, jolting himself awake when he hit his head on the table. "I'm awake!"

"....are you two alright?"

"Yeah!" Sonic smiled. Blue laughed out loud.

"If you're gonna try to lie, at least be good at it." 

Sonic glared at him. Blue chuckled. "You're like me when I was younger.."

"We're the same age!"

"I'm 9 months older." The older one looked smug. Sonic huffed. 

"Did something happen at school?" Maddie asked before her expression darkened. "Did someone pick on Tails again?"

Blue's smile fell. He looked shocked for a second before he frowned.

Sonic shook his head. "No, no, they haven't done anything to Tails after they got suspended."

"Someone did something to Miles?"

"Miles"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Some bullies. First, they claimed me, Tails and Knux aren't a real family- which is wrong! Then they picked on Tails for his-... yeah, tails. And they called him the f-word!"

"F-word?" Tom dropped his silverware.

"Yeah! They called him a..." Sonic leaned towards Tom to make sure Tails wouldn't hear. "Freak."

"..." Tom sighed. Sonic probably didn't know what the f-word really meant...

"But they haven't done a thing since Mom got them suspended-....." Sonic stopped.

Blue looked like he was going to murder someone.

His hands were twitching and his expression was unreadable... he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before smiling sweetly at Maddie. "Are you sure I can't run with this cast?~"

His voice was sweet. Too sweet. Maddie shook her head.

"Worry not, soldier! I took care of the problem." Knuckles smiled proudly. Blue grinned, holding his hand out for a box.

Knuckles looked confused, before taking the hint and tapping his hand as lightly as he could to the other. 

"Why do you keep calling him a soldier?" Sonic looked at his brother. Knuckles huffed.

"He's a soldier, isn't he?"

"You two need practice as parents." Blue took a bite of his food. Tom looked confused.

"....why?"

"Because other me distracted you of your original question." Blue hummed, sending one look at the duo. "And Tails fell asleep." 

Both Tom and Maddie froze, before sending an accusing look at their son. "Sonic Wachowski! How could you?"

"You had to rat me out?" Sonic send his counterpart a glare. Blue shrugged.

"Is someone gonna get Tails a bed?"

Their gaze shifted to the fox. Tails had, indeed, fallen asleep, his face on his plate. 

Now they were even more confused. "Sonic."

".....yes?"

"Why is Miles so tired?"

Sonic sighed. "I told him to go to bed... he spend the night trying to design a portal."

Blue stopped eating. Knuckles frowned. "But that's foolish!"

"....here's the thing.."

Everyone listened. Tom almost cursed at the end. Maddie brought her youngest to bed. Knuckles looked upset the same way Tails and Sonic had been. Blue didn't speak.

"Can't I just go to Mobius?" Blue asked from the couch. Maddie shook her head.

"Not with that leg of yours."

"But I know Mobius! I know the people!"

"They don’t know you, bud." Tom patted his head. "Besides, this version of the planet might be different than yours." Blue's expression fell.

"...so I'm stuck here."

Maddie's heart broke. "Can't we just go, Tom?"

"No!" All three of their kids immediately yelled, which made Maddie shut her mouth. 

Tails, who had woken up 20 minutes ago, grabbed Maddie's hand. "You and Tom would gain a lot of attention, Maddie. There are no humans on Mobius.."

"But there are hedgehogs, foxes, and echidna?" 

Knuckles shook his head sadly. "No echidna. I'm the last of my kind."

"Knuckles would stick out like a sore thumb.." Tails whined, already imagining the news crew trying to surround Knuckles, or those battle arena's trying to capture him.

".....how are we doing this-"

"Hedgehogs are a pretty common species." Blue cut off, looking his counterpart into his eyes. Sonic's eyes widened.

"What- no! They'll figure me out and go hunt after me!"

"Then don't use your super speed. Simple." Blue folded his hands behind his head. "Considering I am not allowed to go, you should blend in just fine. And weren't it the echidna that was after your power?"

"I am not going!"

"Let us go-"

"No!" Sonic hugged Tom tight. The human patted his head.

".....I could go.." Tails mumbled. "Foxes.. are common too."

"Nope." Blue folded his good leg around the youngest. 

Maddie sat beside him. "Why can't Tails go?"

"A twin-tailed fox in a world where an older hedgehog with superpowers and an echidna warrior are afraid to go." Blue shook his head. "He isn't going. Not alone."

"Are you his parent, Blue?"

"As a matter of fact, I am."

"Let's not fight!" Sonic quickly cut them both off. Blue huffed.

"Just let me go!"

"No." 

Blue crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. And upset... "Look, none of them are willing to go, and I understand. I can go myself!"

"I can go-"

"I've seen what those villagers did to you. No, you're not going." Tails paled, not having expected that.

Maddie frowned. "..what did they d-"

"Nothing! Ahahaha.." Tails laughed. 

Tom was stern. "Blue. I'm sorry. The answer is no. Besides.. there's only one ring left. You can't return if you go."

"..." Frustrated, Blue punched the pillow, clearly upset. 

"Look... Tails, can't you figure out another way?" Sonic winced when Tom said that. He had yet to see the mountain of paper balls in their room...

The fox's ears fell, but he smiled uncertainly. "I could try..."

No. The answer was no. 

Earth was not equipped for such inventions. 

Maddie walked inside with her cup of coffee, in her pajamas, into the living room. Dinner had been... quiet.

One day had passed. Tails looked even more tired than before, having tried to find ways to find replacement tools. Maddie had called him in sick when Tails promptly fell asleep during breakfast, again during brushing his teeth, and a final time when he went to the kitchen, flying to reach his back bag and collapsed. Knuckles had caught him, thankfully.

It had been Maddie, Blue, and Tails at home while the rest was at either school or work.

Maddie tried to get Tails from coming up with solutions, finally being stopped by Blue, who almost begged him to take a break.

Blue had seemed.. off. He seemed sad.

Maddie noticed the sad looks he kept sending to Tails. He had started looking the same way at Knuckles today, too. 

"......Mario Bros?" Knuckles tried to cheer up his brother, holding out the switch controller. Sonic shook his head. He had seemed worried. 

Tails didn't even look up from his drawing, resisting the urge to rip up his entire paper. Deep breath in.. deep breath out. Just like Maddie had shown.

"..." Tom and Maddie looked at each other before Tom decided to focus on Blue. He seemed to be good at cheering up their kids..,

 "Hey, Blue?" Tom sat beside him. Blue looked up.

"We haven't shown you much." Tom grabbed his phone. "More about ourselves. We know you, but you don’t know us."

"...okay."

"I used to play music." Tom grinned. That seemed to gain Blue's attention.

"What did you play?"

"Pretty much everything. But the guitar is my favorite."

"....hm.." Blue looked at the other three Mobians, then at Tom. He seemed to get an idea. "....I heard music can be different between our realms too. What kind of music do you have?"

"Lots and lots." Tom handed over his phone after pressing "popular songs". "Choose one, then tell us if it's close! I'll try to guess what song and tell you what genre it is."

"...okay." Blue scrolled.

The first song had been HipHop. The second had been a country song. Knuckles sat beside Tom, taking interest in the man's history of music as he continued to explain. Knuckles took a turn choosing songs, his face lighting up when some songs sounded like his tribe's traditions.

"Hm.." Blue hummed. Tom rolled his eyes.

"Pick one already, hedgehog."

"I'm taking my time!" Blue laughed. The human huffed.

"So not so fast.."

"Okay, okay." Blue pressed a song that seemed to pick an interest. "There. It's loading."

Tom waited. 

"..." 

...doh. 

Doh doh doh doh. Doh doh doh doh. 

Sonic froze. Tails dropped his pencil. Both of them looked up.

Tom looked smug, crossing his arms. "Uptown funk. Too easy."

"They haven't even started to sing yet!" Blue looked bewildered. 

Tails started tapping the table with his pencil, before looking at his brother. "....Sonic?"

"....yeeees?"

"Isn't that the song you played during the dance battle?"

"...dance battle?" Tom looked at them.

Sonic laughed. "Remember when Eggman just arrived?"

"Yeah?"

"We might have.. angered.. an entire bar.. of people.. in Siberia."

".....why?"

"It was my fault.." Tails' ears drooped. Sonic patted his head.

"They were just meanies. Not your fault." He looked at the phone before a grin spread across his face. "...Tails."

"Yes?"

"Pivonka!" Sonic laughed, getting up. Tails looked surprised before he grinned in return.

"I'll sweep the floor with you!"

"How will you do that?"

"What is happening." Blue looked weirded out. Tom patted his head.

"I have no idea.."

The two giggled before Sonic tried to remember how their dance had started. He started doing the thing with his arms before Tails followed.

This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold

Tom blinked. Blue's entire face went red. "....other me can dance?"

"You can't?" Knuckles asked with interest. Blue shook his head.

This one for them hood girls
Them good girls straight masterpieces

"You've grown rusty, hedgehog!" Knuckles yelled. Sonic laughed.

"If you're so good at it, come join!"

Knuckles paled. "...no."

"Come on, brother!" Tails laughed, flying up. "It's fun!"

Stylin', wilin', livin' it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Gotta kiss myself, I'm so pretty

"...I can not dance."

"I can't, either." Tails went back to trying to copy Sonic again. "I'm just doing everything he does."

I'm too hot (hot damn)
Call the police and the fireman

"He is spinning!" Knuckles said.

Blue crossed his arms. He started smiling as he watched his counterpart and his brother.

Tom laughed. "I doubt Knuckles could do that, Tails."

I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man

"Why not?" Tails looked disappointed.

"As strong as Knuckles is, he's heavy," Tom explained. 

I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I am

"Actually..." Tom grabbed his phone, hitting pause.

Sonic stopped. He looked disappointed. "Dad!"

"Hold on.." Tom walked away. "Maddie!! Where's the laptop?" 

Both of them came back, with Maddie holding a laptop in her arms. She was smiling. "Tom said I missed a dance battle."

"I won." Sonic proudly said. Tails giggled.

"Yeah. He did." 

Maddie rolled her eyes, not exactly surprised Sonic knew how to dance, and sat down. "Tom said something about Just Dance."

"Yeah. They were just dancing." Knuckles didn't understand why Maddie found that funny. She patted the spot beside her, which is where Knuckles sat.

"No. A game called Just Dance." She explained. "It has many songs, and someone shows moves you have to copy. You can choose how hard you want it to be depending on the song." She scrolled until she found the song she was looking for, pressing on it. Uptown Funk started playing again.

Maddie placed the laptop on the table. "Try to copy it."

All three of them watched with great interest, starting to try and copy it. Maddie smiled. "Tom."

"On it." Tom already had his phone on record. 

"We should get them Just Dance."

"Noted."

"This is fun!" Knuckles' eyes lit up, doing as the video showed. Tails seemed to enjoy himself just as much. 

Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)

"I rather do my moves." Sonic decided, stopping with whatever the video was showing and spinning three times. Tails looked at him all stary-eyed.

"You're a natural!" Maddie cheered.

"He got that from me."

"No. He did not, Tom."

"He totally got that from me."

"You couldn't even dance with me during our wedding night because you tripped over your own shoelaces."

"....he got his taste of music from me."

Maddie snorted.

'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you
Saturday night and we were in the spot-

"Don't believe me just watch!" Both Sonic and Tails yelled, Sonic grabbing Tails by his arm to spin around together. Knuckles was the only one still copying the video.

They were definitely buying Just Dance.

At some point, Sonic and Tails switched places. Tails started flying, tightening his grip on Sonic's arms, and spinning him around. Maddie almost jumped in, but once she realized Tails got it, she stopped.

"Maddie! come to join us!"

"Knuckles, sweetie, I can't dance anymore.."

"I can't, either." Knuckles pointed at the laptop. Maddie blinked, then decided to join her oldest son. Tails let go of Sonic, flying over to Tom.

Sonic laughed at Tom's expression when Tails tried to get him to join.. and then caught sight of Blue.

Blue... he looked bitter. Sad. He was trying to get up.

Tom noticed, quickly stopping him. "Hey. What are doing, mister?"

"I'm not allowed to go outside."

Tom nodded.

"So can I at least go to the room I stay in?"

"..." Tom sighed, handing the phone to Tails. "Could you be my cameraman, little guy?" Tails nodded happily.

Tom picked up Blue, who, for once, did not protest. Sonic frowned, quickly smiling when Tails started recording.

"Dance!" Tails giggled. Sonic shook his head.

"And if I don't?"

"I'll have Knuckles tackle you the same way he did with Blue this morning."

Sonic gasped. "You wouldn’t!"

"Dance!" 

Tom came back. Seeing Tails was enjoying recording everyone, he didn't take his phone back. 

Something didn't feel right.

Sonic waited five minutes before he stopped playing. "I'm going to the bathroom." 

Without waiting to see if they heard, Sonic zipped upstairs towards where the bathroom was. And stopped in front of the door.

Afterward, he tiptoed towards his counterpart's room, silently, opening the door and peeking inside.

There was.. ringing.

"..."

The number you are trying to call is unavailable. To leave a message-

The call was closed. 

Blue, who had been placed on his bed with his leg on a pillow, sighed. He would have thrown his phone away out of frustration, did it not contain so many memories. 

He didn't say anything. He sadly looked at his phone, more specifically, a picture on his phone, before putting it beside him, and collapsing backward as much as he could.

"..." Without a word, Sonic left. 

Back downstairs, Tom and Maddie had left to make tea. Tails had collapsed, hugging Ozzie and nuzzling into his fur. Knuckles sat beside him on the ground.

They looked up once Sonic approached, a thoughtful but determined expression on his face.

"Sonic?" Knuckles sat straighter. Tails looked up.

Sonic blinked. He looked at his brothers for a second, and hesitated. Was this the right call..? It was scary, and so so dangerous, but..

Then Sonic remembered the broken way Blue had looked at Tails and Knuckles. He didn't think anymore, and made his decision. 

"We are going to Mobius."

Chapter Text

The house was silent.

The sun had long gone down and the moon had taken its place, standing in the way that it was just not a full moon yet. The stars sparkled, and the forest slept. 

It was only the three Mobian kids, a hedgehog, a fox, and an echidna that remained awake. 

Sonic opened the door of their room, before holding up his hands. Tails, flying above him, took them, before lowering the duo to the ground, but still flying. The floors liked to creak, and Tails found that they could just fly to Knuckles' room.

Knuckles, as much of a warrior he was, could not sneak around the house to save his life. Besides, his heavy footsteps gave him away.

Why were they sneaking around, you ask?

Tom and Maddie would probably never approve of them going to Mobius. So it would be done in secret.

Finally, in front of the attic door which had become Knuckles' room, Tails let go of his brother, then stopped flying himself. They snuck inside.

The room wasn't much. It was simple, with a green carpet on the floor, and a punching bag made from metal hanging. Knuckles' bed might as well have been a nest, with all the blankets and pillows he had stuffed into the corner. 

"Sonic!" Knuckles whispered, sending him a dirty look. "I thought you were the fast one! You're even slower than the tiny humans in school!"

"That's how sneaking around works!' Sonic whisper-shouted back, crossing his arms. Tails closed the door.

They sat around each other in a circle. A pen and paper were found on the ground within.

The master emerald was glowing, giving them a light source.

"Okay, so let's see what we know." Sonic started. "Other me got stranded here after his version of Eggman hit him with some machine. If this was intentional, we don't know."

"Eggman used six chaos emeralds to do it, with technology and equipment from Mobius."

"Tails can build a portal, but he'll need stuff from Mobius to get it."

"None of us can be spotted."

"And we only have one ring.." they stopped their brainstorming.

"Not to mention, no one knows the way around Mobius." Knuckles huffed. 

"...well.." the olders looked at the fox, who looked awkward. "I.. know the way in my village.."

"Nope."

"But Sonic-"

"No."

"Why not?" Knuckles looked confused. "Wouldn't his tribe be happy to see him again?"

"...about that.."

Sonic quietly and quickly explained what Tails' home village had been like, considering the little fox was too hesitant to do so. In the end, Knuckles' expression was unreadable.

"...Knuckles?"

"..."

"We are going to that village." Knuckles growled in a low, angry tone. "And I am making them pay for the dishonor they have reflected upon our brother."

"K-Knuckles!" Tails' face became red, quickly shaking his head. "It- its fine! I mean, none of us had- parents for a while... so it's fine!"

"Our people did not have a choice. Yours did. I am punching them into the next universe." Knuckles was stern. Sonic shook his head.

"As much as I would love to see you punch those morons into a pancake, we can’t risk it. It's too dangerous."

"But.. Sonic." Tails tried. "Neither of you know your way around Mobius! You were on earth and Knuckles left his home tribe. I at least know the way around my village. I know where to get the tools and I know where we can get some rings, too. In fact, I think I have some of the parts in my old home."

"But Tails.. what about us? None of us can be seen."

"You will blend just fine. Just don’t run." Tails decided.  

"Miles.."

"I- I look different enough! I'm.. not as skinny and pale as I was, I doubt I'll be recognized.."

"..." Sonic looked at Knuckles. Knuckles shook his head. Tails' eyes widened.

"Where else do you plan to go? No one knows the way!"

"We don’t have the currency to pay with." Knuckles cut off. "And I don’t plan on stealing."

"..." Tails looked defeated. He then sighed. "Look, I'm not happy to go there... But it's the only place available. We can't just create a portal to a random location and hope for the best!"

"But we can’t go to that place where they hurt you!"

"Where else do you want to go?!"

"You could go to your awesome counterpart for help."

All of them jumped at the new voice, looking surprised at Blue. The hedgehog stood at the door, leaning against it as he held up his casted leg.

"....how in the world did you get down here?"

"I may not be able to run but I can still move."

Tails looked at him with stary eyes. Knuckles huffed, impressed. "Well.. you certainly are a strong one, Sonic."

"I am Sonic!"

"He is too, hedgehog."

"....how come you call him by his name but still call me hedgehog?" Sonic looked away, clearly annoyed. He was trying to help the guy but did he have to be this annoying?

Blue jumped a couple of times before he was able to sit beside Knuckles. While he did so, he removed one of his shoes. "You know, I can still go, considering other me doesn't wanna."

"I want to." He would not let this stuck-up version of himself steal the spotlight! "Besides, you can't even walk."

Blue stopped. "...okay. Then here." Removing his shoe, he grabbed something out of it and handed it to Sonic. Sonic was about to be grossed out when he realized what it was.

Money.

In Mobius' currency. 

"...how do you run with so much stuff in your shoes?" Sonic was thinking about how painful that must be.

"And how did you even get all that money?" Tails added. Blue grinned.

"I get paid because I fight Robotnik."

"....really now."

"I didn't like it, but I kinda said a couple of years back if we don’t get a house and an income, I would quit fighting the Egghead. Couldn't let baby bro starve."

"...baby?" Tails blinked. Blue winced. 

"Anyways! That should be more than enough."

"But.. where will we go?"

"...look, I can't help with that." Blue sighed. "I can say where you could buy that stuff, but I don’t know. Tails does all that. Besides, you still need your.. rings or something. I don’t know where you can get that."

"I do. In my village!"

"No." Both hedgehogs said in unison. The fox huffed.

"There is still the problem of hiding.." Knuckles added. Blue frowned.

"..."

"What are you all doing up awake?"

The three kids jumped again. They looked in shock at their parents.

"M-Maddie! Tom!" Sonic laughed awkwardly, quickly turning away. 

Maddie crossed her arms. "What is all this about?"

"We were trying to find out how to go to Mobius." Sonic punched his arm. Knuckles frowned. "What? I will not lie to our motherly figure."

"Motherly- when did that happen?!"

"What are you doing up anyway?" Tails moved a bit to make room for the parents. They both looked at Blue.

Once all eyes were on him, the hedgehog winced. "....did I forget to mention I may have alerted your parents..?"

"....why," Sonic growled, at this point done with this guy.

Blue shrugged. "You got angry when I tried to help the other day because "I'm not your parent"- so here. Your parents." 

"I meant with Tails."

"They're also Tails' parents." Blue crossed his arms. Sonic slapped his forehead. 

Tom sat down, stretching his legs. "Sonic.. we're here to help."

That got them by surprise. "....what?"

"You want to help, right?" Maddie sat down too, having a notebook in her hand. "Shoot. We're all ears."

Sonic had the best parents in the world.

It had been decided.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles would be going to Mobius, but, had to send an update every 15 minutes one way or another. Tails had already adjusted their phones to be able to reach across different worlds after they met Blue.

They would go to Tails' home village in disguises. As much as Sonic had kept protesting, Knuckles was seeing the foxes point. They didn't know anything about Mobius, let alone the way. If they got lost, they would be stuck in there for.. maybe forever. Knuckles had only had his rings because of his tribe, and those had run out 

Sonic, Maddie, and Tom only agreed on one condition.

Knuckles was to punch anyone in the ribs if they threatened the youngest. The oldest happily agreed.

Besides, Tails had said he wouldn't be recognized. They all doubted it. His twin tails made it obvious who he was.

They would first get the rings, then buy whatever needed to be bought. The rest Tails had in his old "home" whatever that had been. 

Sonic hated it. But it was all they had. They would have left Tails at home, but the fox was the only one who knew what needed to be bought where. Perhaps he could buy a map?

Tom was carrying a sleeping Tails close to his chest, waiting for everyone to wish Knuckles goodnight. Once that was done, Maddie picked up Blue, because as easy as he could go down, she doubted he could go up.

Sonic didn't know why it hurt to see Maddie carrying his counterpart.

Why did he wish to be carried? He was too old for that anyways...

They all went upstairs, Sonic wishing his mom goodnight as she went to the guest room. Tom and Sonic walked upstairs.

The hedgehog climbed into his bed, while Tom was tucking the fox into the other. Tails hummed in his sleep. "Hm..." he blinked, staring at Tom with sleepy eyes. "...daddy...?"

"Go to sleep, kiddo." Tom patted his head. Tails hummed, quickly looking around. "...S'nic...?"

"Right here." Sonic looked up and waved. Tails seemed satisfied at seeing his brother, and laid back down, dead asleep within seconds. Tom still didn't understand how he did that.

The human got up, walking towards Sonic. He could see a smile growing on his father's face. "Donut Lord?"

"He called me dad!!!" Tom whisper-shouted. Sonic snorted at the excitement, feeling happiness bubble in his heart. 

"Did you get this excited when I called you dad?"

"....I might have kept Maddie up the entire night."

Sonic smiled and laid down. Tom tucked him in, quickly ruffling his quills. "Goodnight kiddo."

"Night dad."

As Tom walked away, Sonic felt his paranoia melt away.

Blue was acting like Tom and Maddie.

Perhaps he had just been paranoid... Sonic sighed in embarrassment. And here he had thought Blue was trying to replace him. From the way Tom was talking, Sonic realized he had been stupid.

So now he closed his eyes and tried to calm his excitement and nervousness. He was going to Mobius!

"What did you do?! Where is Sonic?!"

"Swing all you want, rodent! I WIN!"

"Knuckles what is happening down there?! Guys?!"

The fox yelled panicked from his plane, trying to get a look from below him. He couldn't see a thing! He pulled the wheel to fly closer.

All he had seen was the explosion, and the hedgehog's watch had disconnected.

That explosion sure had been something. All the fox had seen in those seconds was white. And then his brother disappeared!

As did the computer of the plane. His screen, which he used to see everything on the ground, locations, notifications, and other stuff, had shut off. The fox tried to turn it on again.

His friends were yelling- why were they yelling?

"Amy?! Knuckles?! Answer me! What is going on down there?!"

He forgot the codenames he loved so much. 

Go closer...

Where was his brother? Why had he disconnected?? Was he hurt?! Did the explosion trap him somewhere or something?!

"Blue Thunder, this is Yellow Sky- oh why do I bother SONIC?! Can you hear me!? Why won't anyone answer me?!" He didn't want to be left in the dark!

His plane was acting weird. It wouldn’t do as he wanted it. "What..." he mumbled. 

Go down. He wanted the plane to go down.

It didn't do such thing. 

The fox's eyes got wide as one of Eggman's bots was flying- no, falling towards him, and he pulled up the wheel to dodge it.

The plane didn't go up . 

The fox yelped as the plane shook a bit from the hit, quickly looking from the window to take a look. That robot had been shut off.

Now that he looked down the window.. all robots seemed to act weird.

"Uhm... guys?" The fox spoke. He couldn't hear any reply from his friends. All he saw was the pink hedgehog swinging her hammer at the doctor, while the echidna stood still.

Only now became the fox aware of the screaming he was hearing.

The screaming was not from his friends as he had thought. It couldn't be his friends, he realized with dawning horror. Their watches were off.

That screaming was not from his friends.

It was from the plane.

Eyes going wide, the fox removed his headset- and finally heard the notifications and warnings the plane had been screaming from the start.

Warning! Warning! Large source of energy is damaging the plane. Warning! Warning! 

Chapter Text

"Tails! Knuckles! Hurry up!" Sonic called impatiently, tapping his foot and waiting for his brothers to arrive. It was Saturday, and they all ate breakfast together, going through the plan a final time. 

Be quick. Stay hidden. No one has to know.

Sonic had placed the coins in the satchel he used to use for his rings. He'll buy more there. Maddie had prepared Knuckles a bag back with food and water. And Tails had his bag with mysterious weapons. Maddie still didn't understand why so much.

"Give 'em a minute, kiddo." Tom shushed, watching Sonic pace around. He was.. nervous, to say at least. He was going to Mobius. Freaking Mobius!

"I just want to get it over with.."

"I know. Be patient."

"Coming!!" Tails yelled from upstairs, before helping and- they heard the sound of something falling. Sonic winced.

Tails walked inside, already wearing his back bag, rubbing his head and-.....

"......Tails."

"Yes?"

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That thing around your tails."

"Ah.." Tails winced. He had hoped they wouldn't notice...

A yellow cloth was wrapped around his namesakes, making them look like one. "I told you- I won't be recognized. Won't go easy with these.."

Blue looked at him with sadness. But not a surprise. As if he had already known.. he probably did. 

"Miles.." Tom said gently. Tails quickly lit up.

"Oh yeah! Sonic, don't call me Tails there? Call me Miles."

"...won't they know your real name?"

"I'm pretty sure they forget it over time. All they called me was tails."

"Miles, son... you do know it's obvious you have a cloth around your tails?" Tom asked. Tails smiled proudly.

"I know! Which is why I have this!" He pulled out his device he had used to multiply himself- that tablet did anything, really. "Using the hologram technology of the Miles Multiplier, I have created a different app for a different purpose." He pressed some buttons and-...

The yellow cloth disappeared, and the fox moved his tail freely. Even his facial features seemed slightly different. All three guys blinked in shock.

"The cloth was just so that I can keep my tails together, but it worked!" Tails cheered to himself. Just as Tom was about to comment, Knuckles and Maddie came back downstairs. Knuckles was wearing a blue cape, which he had also used to pull over his head, like some sort of hoodie.

"..." Sonic looked away, snickering. Knuckles crossed his arms. "Something funny, hedgehog?"

"You look like Dumbledore." Sonic snickered, trying not to laugh when Knuckles' confusion became worse.

"Can't you use the same trick you used on your tails on Knuckles?" Blue asked. He saw Maddie staring at the kit's namesakes.

"Unfortunately no... I started this two days ago, all it can do is a hologram of my tails." Tails rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't have time to design it to customize as I want. I'll upgrade it once I have time." 

"And with the gel, I used on his quills, doesn't Knuckles look more pointy?"

"Yeah yeah." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Can we go now?" He just wanted this over with...

"Honey, you need to be careful.."

"I know I know-"

"All three of you." Tom cut off. The kids looked at Tom.

"You are about to go to a planet you haven't been for.. a while." Tom started. "Do we remember the rules?"

"Stick together, don't get lost, update every 15 minutes, and punch anyone who comes near the fox!" Knuckles proudly said from the top of his head. Maddie held up her finger, about to correct him on the last part when she stopped herself. 

"...yeah."

"Good enough." Tom turned to Sonic. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Don't use my superspeed.."

"And?"

"Don't punch anyone."

"Good." Tom looked satisfied. Blue chuckled. 

"...so it's time." Maddie quickly hugged the first one she could touch, which ended up being Knuckles, who happily hugged back. She was about to do the same for Sonic, who held up his arms.

"Woah! Too old for that, mom."

"How about a fistbumb then?"

"That I do." Sonic boxed his hand against Maddie's. The human turned to Tails, who happily hugged her as well.

Tom got up, kneeling beside his first child, and looked at him. "Be careful, okay kid? We want you back in one piece."

"I'll be fine, dad.. promise." Sonic held up his fist. Tom punched his hand against it.

"....okay.." Tails stepped forward, twirling with the ring in his hand, collecting himself.

Deep breath in...

"Mobius." Having a picture of the place he wanted to go in mind, Tails threw the ring. And the portal opened.

Quickly glancing behind him, Sonic saw his counterpart's eyes almost pop out. 

Seeing no one dared to do so, Knuckles nodded in both human's directions, before walking through the portal. 

Tails seemed extremely hesitant to do the same, and glanced behind him, before taking a deep breath and walking through.

Sonic remained. He couldn't bring himself to move. 

"..."

A deep breath and Sonic started walking... before stopping right before the portal.

"..."

Quickly running back to hug Tom and Maddie, Sonic closed his eyes, braced himself, and ran through.

The portal closed.

"About time." Knuckles commented with crossed arms, watching his brother finally appear. The portal closed on their end too. He frowned once he saw Sonic refusing to open his eyes.

"...Sonic. Look."

"Come on, big bro!" Sonic heard Tails yell, feeling his heart warm at the term used. 

A small paw took his one hand.

A huge one the other. "Take your time." 

One minute. Two minutes. Three...

Both of them waited. And Sonic finally opened his eyes. They went wide in shock.

The trees that were different than the ones on earth, and- is that a purple bird?! Oh- oh god.. are those..?

"Hoop da loops?!!?" Sonic yelled, his smile becoming impossibly large as he stared at what was ahead. Yes, yes, it was!! Oh my god, he hadn't seen one in so. Long!

In his excitement, Sonic didn't hear his phone ring. Tails picked it up, smiling at the screen. "Tom!"

"Hey, buddy. Are ya'll safe?" Tom asked. Maddie was noticeable in the background, looking at Blue's arm.

"Yes, yes, we are!" Tails turned the camera around, showing the much different atmosphere. Tom looked surprised, before sitting on the couch.

"Mads. Look."

Maddie did. She looked equally as surprised. "Your planet looks awesome, sweetheart!"

"I know!" Tails showed Knuckles and Sonic. Knuckles was patting his back.

"Hedgehog. Run."

"Wha- no!"

"I know you want to." Knuckles pointed his head in the direction of the hoops. Sonic seemed hesitant, turning to Tails.

The fox smiled. "Go. No one comes to this part of the forest- it's why I chose it."

That was all the encouragement he needed, it seemed, and Sonic was gone in a flash.

"WOOOHOOO!!" He yelled joyfully, running over the circle. Knuckles crossed his arms with a smile, with Tails showing their parents.

Sonic was back within a minute, vibrating with excitement. "That was AWESOME!"

"Let's not overdo it, kiddo." Tom pointed out. Sonic saluted.

"Ay."

"Be careful kids, alright?"

"Yes, mother." Knuckles bowed his head. Sonic looked surprised before he smiled. 

Maddie beamed. Tom waved, and the call ended.

"Alright." Tails handed the phone over to Sonic, who put it back in his bag. "We go this way. Knuckles, pull up your hood."

As they started walking, Tails started explaining. "Although my village exists of many different species, it's still mostly foxes. So if anyone asks, I am here to buy tools for my father far away, and you two are his assistants."

"Ay ay, captain." Sonic saluted again. Tails giggled and put his Miles Eccentric in his bag.

"And remember- no crazy superpowers! You are powerless!"

"Got it."

It took a bit of walking, considering Tails had thrown the ring a bit further away from the village for safety. But finally, Sonic started seeing houses. His expression turned sour.

Knuckles sped up, putting a hand on Tails' shoulder. Tails seemed thankful.

Houses. More houses. And they passed a fox who had been talking on the phone. A Mobian! 

Sonic grabbed Knuckles' other arm. Here they go...

"....."

"They'll be alright, Maddie," Tom reassured her, patting his wife's shoulder. "The kids are tough."

"I know.." Maddie sighed, finally resuming to remove the bandage from Blue's arm. His wounds from before should be healed, and so she was going to check.

Maddie was satisfied when she noticed no wounds. Blue smiled. "Does that mean I won't have to walk around like a mummy anymore?"

"Hopefully. We still have to check the rest of you." Maddie pulled the bandage away until she noticed.

From the number of wounds and bandages before, she hadn't even noticed his arm...

For the hedgehog's arm was not blue... it was cream-colored. Maddie stopped in surprise.

"....what?" Blue's smile fell, making way for a confused expression. Maddie quickly moved to his other arm.

"Nothing, honey. Your skin just surprised me is all."

"Huh?... oh." Blue noticed it too. "Never crossed my mind, honestly."

"So you two do have your differences."

"You didn't notice that before?"

"No! It's like looking into a mirror!" Maddie laughed, moving to his chest.

Blue didn't.

He seemed surprised.

".....you do know we're different people, right, Maddie?"

"Oh, I know, but you're so similar-"

"Stop."

"Huh?" Maddie frowned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. But you did hurt other me." Blue crossed his arms. "No wonder he keeps getting jealous of me."

"....Blue?"

"I'm faster than him. I am more responsible while he knows how to have fun. He's much more interesting than I am and no doubt a great fighter." Blue cocked an eyebrow. "He cares about Knuckles differently than I do, and I find that beautiful, Mrs. Wachowski. He's lazier, can't handle change and he has a much more different way of looking at the world. Meanwhile, I act much more different with my friends, I am constantly worried but at the same time go with the flow. Do not confuse us to be the same person." He crossed his arms.

".. you're right." Maddie nodded and continued with the bandages. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Blue smiled again. "I understand we look the same at first sight." And his smile fell again.

".....I just hope he's like me when thinking about this."

She had told him.

She had told that moron- "Be careful Sonic, Eggman has new tricks up his sleeve and now he has six of the seven chaos emeralds, he's more powerful than ever!"

But the hedgehog, being the idiot he always was, hadn't listened to her. 

"Don't worry Amy, that doctor hasn't been able to get me before, he surely won't be able to now! I'm too fast!"

The echidna had been hesitant himself, that she knew, but he also knew the hedgehog. He was stubborn. And strong. He could handle the doctor.

The fox had been afraid. She had noticed. But the fox had put on a brave face if only to be like his hero.

The pink hedgehog now understood what the blue one had meant when he said he "wanted the fox to be like her".

It didn't make him any less stupid.

"Sonic?! SONIC?!" She kept calling over and over, while the echidna stared with shocked eyes at where the hedgehog had stood seconds earlier. She had told him, she had TOLD him! She TOLD him to for once not run into the danger! Did he listen? NO! Of course not!

"Don't worry." He said. "It will be fine." He said. 

Stupid idiotic- 

The pink hedgehog checked her watch. 

Blue Thunder: Disconnected

"It worked?" The doctor seemed just as surprised as everyone else, before breaking off into maniacal laughter. "It worked! Gone is the hero you all once knew! Behold, citizens of Mobius, I win!"

*beep beep beep beep beep beep*

Everything was too loud. There was beeping and screaming and chaos everywhere. Even the doctor's machines were either going crazy or glitching altogether.

*beep beep beep beep beep beep*

"You PIECE OF SHIT!" The pink hedgehog screamed, grabbing her hammer and charging at the doctor with full force. She never cursed.

"What did you do?! Where is Sonic?!"

"Swing all you want, rodent! I WIN!"

Tears dotted the corners of her eyes as she swung her hammer, again and again. "What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Amy... Stop...!!!"

"Help.... the plane....!"

".....Calm...!!"

She was vaguely aware of others yelling at her, but didn't care, trying to hit that doctor on the head. He yelped, trying to flee away- but even his egg mobile seemed broken from the blast.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH SONIC?!"

Chapter Text

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Tails had refused to let go of Knuckles' hand when the first fox had appeared, and the echidna had gladly taken it. The Mobian hadn't even looked in their direction, but it was still... scary.

Knuckles' expression was neutral, looking left and right as he pulled his hood more over himself. Sonic felt exposed. 

"Where exactly are we, Miles?" Knuckles was the one who broke the silence, being mindful to use his real name. Still, Tails' expression turned sour at the use of his name.

"Westside Island." He spoke, looking up once more Mobians had started to appear. "We should be in the village within two minutes."

Knuckles hummed. He turned to his other brother. "Hedgehog?"

"Fine." Sonic sighed, walking just a tad closer to the duo.

"There should be a bright red building once we turn left." Tails murmured. "We will get the rings from there first." The other two nodded.

What Sonic assumed was two minutes later, they entered the village. He tried to keep the look of disgust buried away.

It seemed like an ordinary village: A bit old school, but it also looked cozy, which made him even angrier.

And all he could see, it was just foxes.

Tails took a breath, let go of Knuckles, and turned left, indeed facing a bright red building a minute later. Sonic looked surprised. The building didn't seem like it fit here.

"What would a shop this different do here?" He wondered out loud. Tails rolled his eyes, walking to the door.

"It's a new shop." He answered. "The village was finally going through some upgrades when I left." 

The inside of the shop was bright and colorful, with books as far as the eye could see. A bookshop. Surprising.

"Are you sure we can buy rings here, fox?"

"Hm." Tails walked straight to the counter, pressing the bell. 

Within an instant, a bird-mobian appeared, scaring the crap out of the trio- Tails jumped back with a yelp.

"Well hello!~" The bird laughed, covering its mouth with its wings.

A green parrot mobian. 

Well... that certainly was new. 

"U-Uhm... hi?" Tails blinked. The older laughed again.

"Boy, a new face!" They leaned over the counter to look Tails right in the eyes. The fox shrunk.

"Sorry!" They giggled again, leaning back. "It's not often to see new faces around!!" Their eyes fell on Sonic and Knuckles.

"...My, oh my! Let alone of any species other than fox!"

Sonic held Knuckles' arm.

"Uhm... we wanted to buy rings?" Tails asked nervously. The parrot winked, opening a cabinet behind them. 

"How many, pal?"

"..." Tails turned to Sonic. The hedgehog hummed.

"Uhm... twenty?"

"Boy!" The bird looked surprised, but started their task, grabbing a plastic bag as they started counting rings. "Ya planning on traveling the world or something?"

"...You could say that."

"We lost our previous rings... Not taking that chance again."

"...Ah. That explains it." Once they had all the rings, they threw them over their shoulder, almost hitting Tails in the face. The fox quickly caught it after almost dropping it.

Knuckles growled, stepping forward. Sonic patted his back, mouthing "Not now."

"That would be... 30 G, my boy. But let this be a gift from me since ya'll are new!!" They smiled again. "I'll give it to ya for 25 instead!"

Sonic stepped forward, looking around in his patch, and quickly handing the bird their money. As the bird counted them, they looked at Tails again, their expression thoughtful.

"....Ya say... Have I seen ya around before? You sure do look familiar-"

"Nope!" Sonic grabbed Tails' arm, turning around and dragging him away. "Have a nice day!"

"..." The bird looked after them in suspicion.

"Don't just do that!" Tails hissed outside, handing the bag with rings to his older brother. Sonic huffed, putting the rings in his pouch.

"They recognized you!"

"Foxes look similar!"

"I agree with Miles." Knuckles sighed. "We have to be more careful, Sonic."

"You almost attacked the guy!"

"He threw a bag at him!"

"Stop." Tails groaned, crossing his arms. "How about you two just go back-"

"No."

"Then stop complaining!" Tails huffed.

"But Tails-"

"Miles."

"I don't like my name..." The tiny fox sniffled, his two tails curling into one. "People keep laughing at me... and they say my name so mean. As if it's a curse..."

And that alone broke his heart. 

No four-year-old should ever say such things, and the hedgehog wanted to fix that.

"Well... I'm not gonna call you something you don't like. Do you want me to call you something else instead?"

The fox's head snapped up in shock, looking at the hero with wide eyes. No one had ever asked him that before. "Something... else...?"

"Yeah!" He held his thumbs up. "Whatever you want!"

The hedgehog ignored the way the fox seemed close to crying again.

"I-I... Uhm... I don't k-know..."

If it was from frustration or joy, he couldn't tell.

"...Okay. How about I give you a nickname instead?"

"Really...? Nothing mean...?"

"Nothing mean." He promised, crossing his fingers and putting it over his heart, before poking the fox's nuzzle. The child giggled, his tails slightly uncurling. They seemed to shift his mood, and that got the hedgehog's attention. 

"How about... Tails?"

His tails curled back together in alarm, a fearful look passing the younger's face. "T-Tails?"

"Yeah!" He smiled kindly.

"...Why?"

"Because they're so cool!"

"You... you really think so?" 

"Yes!" The hedgehog smiled as brightly as he could manage, feeling happy at the awe he saw in the child's eyes, which slowly turned into joy.

"O... okay! Yes! I like it!!"

"Okay, little buddy. Let's try again." He held out his hand. "I'm Sonic!"

A tiny paw took his in return.

"I'm Tails!!"

"..."

"Blue?" someone pulled him out of his thoughts, and Blue cringed.

Right. New nickname. He was Blue now.

For now.

"Right here, Tom." He lazily waved a hand from his spot. The human walked over, being mindful not to justle his leg as he sat beside the Mobian. 

"Aren't you bored? You've been staring at the wall ever since Maddie left."

Blue laughed, and couldn't help glancing at his arms. Both his arms and the none-broken leg were now bandage-free, as Maddie had declared he didn't need them anymore. The only areas he still had bandages were his stomach and the casted leg. 

"Ah- sorry. Got lost in thoughts." 

Tom hummed, reaching over for the remote. "Wanna watch TV?"

"As long as it isn't the Hunger Games I'm good." 

Tom snorted, skimming through the channels. "Are they bad on your planet?"

"Nah." The hedgehog rubber one arm. "Knuckles is obsessed with them. I've watched enough of it."

"Really?" Now that was surprising. The Knuckles Tom knew liked nature documentation and such. "Don't you ever watch anything else?"

"I guess Amy likes her soaps." Blue thought. "And Tails loves cartoons."

"Cartoons?"

"Hm." A sad smile crossed his face, and Tom pretended not to see it. "He tried to act like he doesn't watch them but I know he loves those. Encouraged him to watch them more often. It's good for him."

"Hm..." Tom flipped to one of the shows his son watched. "Does he like Paw Patrol?"

"What's that?"

"This." He pressed play.

Blue watched for a minute in confusion before a grin started to grow. "Oh my god. He would totally watch that."

Tom snickered. "How about we record all the episodes on a disk you can take home?"

"Yes." Not even the slightest hesitation. The human chuckled.

"So, what do you watch, cool guy?"

"Everything I just listed."

"But what do you like to watch?" Tom turned around. Blue looked lost, not sure what he meant. 

"...I watch whatever the gang watches, dude."

"....huh." Tom hummed, switching to Netflix. "I think I have a series you'll like."

"....Say, Tom?"

"Hm?" 

"...What is Tails' real name?"

"That's... an odd question." Tom looked at the hedgehog in confusion and stopped his scrolling. Blue huffed.

"Just answer the question."

"Miles Tails Wachowski?"

"..." Blue smiled slightly, before leaning back. "Okay."

Although confused, Tom didn't question it. Instead, he started the Flash.

All Mobians he could see were foxes.

Sure, Sonic was glad, on one hand, to not see any other Mobians.

But Tails was terrified.

The fox was now clinging to his blue brother instead, holding onto his arm as if his life depended on it. Knuckles had a reassuring paw on the kit's back, but it did nothing to calm his nerves. 

It only made the older two wonder about whatever happened in this village. Part of him didn't want to know. 

"It's okay... you're okay..." Sonic kept reassuring him, meanwhile trying to calm his nerves. 

Knuckles growled, before gently patting his back. "What do you need?"

"A..." deep breaths. "An.. an anti-matter battery."

"But don't we have those on earth?"

"Same name, but very different device." Tails mumbled, leading them to a big shop in the center of the town. As they walked by, everyone kept staring at them or whispering to each other.

Rude.

Sonic had almost stuck out his tongue, but the red one pulled him inside before he could. 

The inside of the shop was made from wood, some parts of it covered in oil or other weird substances. The smells were overwhelming: It smelled like a garage.

As Tails looked around, his face lit up. "We could also find the partical screwdriver and its screws here! That's a trip less!"

"How about we split up?" At the looks he got, Sonic held up his arms. "I go look for the anti-matter battery, you two go find the other stuff."

"..." Tails nodded, taking Knuckles' arm and leading him the other way. Sonic sighed, going to where he had seen large boxes he assumed to be batteries.

"....Geez." They all looked the same. How did Tails keep them apart? 

After staring at the batteries for at least 2 minutes, a fox with brown fur and blue eyes made his way up to him, wearing a blue shirt with a black tie and black pants. "Need any help, son?"

Sonic flinched, quickly turning back with wide eyes before he laughed awkwardly. "N-no need, sir. I'm just new to this stuff."

"I can tell." The fox laughed gently, stepping forward and grabbing a chair. "What did ya need?"

"Uhm... an anti-matter battery."

Their eyes went a bit wide in surprise, but they still smiled, pushing the chair away before standing on it. "Geez... what would a kid like you need a battery that strong for?"

Oh geez.

"A project."

"Ah." They managed to pull out a small box, but still big enough to be held with two arms. "Just taking the extra volt, just in case, huh?"

"Yep!" 

They got down, handing Sonic the battery. "Here you go. Do you know where to grab its charger?"

"..." 

A chuckle. "Follow me."

As they walked to a different section of the store, the fox wouldn't stop talking. "Are ya new around here? I know I've been gone for a while, but I didn't expect this much change!"

"Ah... yeah." Sonic cringed. "But I will be leaving today."

"You came all this way just for a battery?" They frowned but pulled out a charger from one of the drawers. "Here, kid."

"Thanks. I gotta go find... my friends." The hedgehog had to stop himself when he had been about to say "brothers". "Nice to meet you, sir." 

"....Well goodbye!"

Sonic had been rushing away, going as slow as he ever went in his life. Just as he had been about to turn the corner, he heard it:

"Ah! Mr. Prower! Finally found you!"

His heart stopped. 

"-aaand.... done!" Tails closed the bag he had been filling, putting it in the basket he had picked from the door. Got the screws, the screwdriver, now the... what was it called again?

...

Ah, right. The electrical glass.

"What strange names these devices have..." Knuckles thought out loud, making Tails laugh awkwardly.

"They're not very creative with names..."

"What is the purpose of these glasses, fox?" They walked into a lighter hall.

"It strengthens the power of the battery used." Tails explained. "They have devices similar back home, but not near as strong. Not strong enough to be able to stand the... ya know."

The emerald.

Knuckles nodded. "Why even need a battery if we have our source of power?"

"Because I don't want to use it too much." They went left. "It's strong, yes, but you saw what happened with Sonic when he used it. I don't want to risk anything like that happening."

"That is reasonable..." 

"...hm... Ah!" Tails smiled, finding what he needed and putting it in his basket. "That was everything from here!"

"Do you need anything else?"

"We need to visit two more stores after this, the other side of town. Then I will pick up my old toolbox." Tails looked pleased, making his way to check-out, where he was sure Sonic would be. And sure enough, the hedgehog was there. 

Both fox and echidna knew something was wrong the moment they saw him. Sonic had a worried frown on his face, arms shaking, and trying to keep himself from producing any lightning. Still, his foot was tapping just a tad faster than it would have for a normal Mobian.

His head snapped up once he spotted the duo, at once taking the tools from Tails' hand and ushering them outside. "I'll pay, just get out get out."

"Why?"

"Is something wrong, Sonic?"

"Just go." Sonic hissed, pushing Tails towards the echidna, and sped off. The two blinked. 

"...Did I miss something?"

"You and me both, brother." 

Sonic's eyes almost popped out as he saw a younger brown fox speed to the fox Sonic had been speaking with- Mr. Prower- excitedly babbling about this new screwdriver they had bought, but Sonic didn't understand nor care, as he was trying to keep himself from attacking the man.

That was him.

That was the moron that abandoned his baby brother. 

Sonic felt a protective anger bubble in his chest, his quills sparking slightly before he frowned in confusion.

Why did he want to attack the guy?

They came here for the battery. Not to hurt this random fox Tails had probably already forgotten about. 

So why did he want to punch the guy in the face? 

This... this wasn't normal anger.

No, Sonic knew anger. He had felt angry when he had seen Eggman when he had taken the emerald and hurt Green Hills. This was... different.

This was still anger. Protective anger. But not... just that. It was something else. Had he felt this before?

Think... think... when did he-

"Tails! Get the compass and get out of here!" The hedgehog yelled, reaching back and throwing the compass at the fox, who reached out to grab it. But just at the last second, Robotnik stood before him, grabbing the compass instead.

Robotnik laughed, pressing a button on his mobile. The rockets got out of their compartments.

"Later haters!!~"

And were shot at the flying fox. Tails screamed as he got it before he fell. 

"Tails!" Sonic screamed, running over and grabbing his head, another hand placed on his chest. "Come on Tails wake up!"

"He chose saving the fox over pursuing the compass..."

"Hah! Of course, he did. New friends... same, pathetic weakness." 

Sonic held Tails closer as he send Eggman a dirty look, protective anger rising in his chest.

...

He hadn't even realized it then. Sonic blinked.

Was this what his counterpart meant? Is this the way he always felt about Tails?

Electricity spiked in his quills. 

And suddenly, Sonic had a lot more understanding for Blue than he had before. 

He owed his counterpart an apology.

Sonic quietly snuck away.

"Want to explain what that was about, Sonic?" Knuckles asked once the hedgehog stepped outside. His expression seemed to be made of stone, and Sonic exhaled calmly. 

"No."

"...That is not an answer."

Sonic sent him a look that made the echidna shut up. 

His expression lacked energy, but there was that look in his eyes, soft and understanding and protective all at once. 

A look of calm understanding. A look Knuckles had used many times himself. A look he had seen plenty of times on Blue.

That was the face of an older brother. 

And Knuckles didn't ask further. 

He may not know what was troubling him, but he knew it was about the fox. That was enough.

"How about we have lunch in the forest after visiting the final shop?" Tails asked obliviously, seeming much calmer than before. Then again, they had been surrounded by what was his comfort place. All the tools! 

"...Sure, bud." Sonic smiled slightly, trying to gain his energy back. But his arms were trembling. 

As Tails skipped forward, Knuckles gently grabbed his arm. "Did anyone say something?"

"...I think I met his dad."

Knuckles' grip tightened, expression unreadable. "...When."

"I couldn't find the thing Tails wanted," Sonic whispered. "I didn't realize until someone called his name."

"...And you are sure that is...?"

"Who else would be called "Mr. Prower"?" 

"..."

"Then you're wrong." Knuckles let go and huffed. Sonic frowned.

"Miles' last name is Wachowski."

That made Sonic smile.

Yeah.

That's right.

"Hey!!" The call of their youngest brother brought them back to the present, the fox waving his hand. "I thought I was the slowest!"

Sonic looked offended, almost zipping toward him- but just walked fast instead. Knuckles ran after him.

"Hey! Young man!" The cashier ran after the hedgehog, waving a small paper in his hand. "You forget your receipt!"

Just as the fox spotted the hedgehog's friend, he saw it.

The big, red one ran.

His cape flew upward at his speed.

And just for a second, they saw a leg that did not belong to a hedgehog.

Their final store was a small one, much to Sonic's relief. Tails were running inside, knowing exactly where to go out of his head- letting out a yelp when the doors beeped the moment he walked through. Knuckles was standing in front of him at once. 

One of the employees walked toward him with a reassuring smile. "Sorry, sorry, that thing's been busted for days!" Hey laughed, pressing some buttons on the door- and it stopped. "Do you happen to carry any phones?"

"...Yeah?"

"Yeah, that's it." They groaned. "That thing is supposed to beep whenever someone tries either stealing something or scans weapons... I thought it was fixed. Apologies!"

Tails looked pale before he smiled again. Sonic walked after him, trying not to grin.

"....Miiiiiles.~"

"Shh."

The final thing Tails needed looked like a pencil. Either way, Sonic didn't comment. As they paid and tried to walk, the door beeped again, this time more urgent.

The same employee frowned. "...Huh. It... it usually just does that once a day?"

Another employee looked up, looking suspiciously at Sonic and Knuckles. "...Sir, would you mind waiting a second?"

Sonic winced but nodded either way. Knuckles grumbled. As another employee came inside, they pulled Tails away. 

"Hey!"

"Sorry, sweetheart." They smiled, before suspiciously looking at the older two. "Just gotta check your... friends." 

"They're my dad's employees." Tails quickly said. Security walked inside the store, looking first at Sonic, before Knuckles.

"...Sir. I'm gonna have to ask you to remove the robe." Knuckles' expression didn't change.

"It is a cultural matter."

"And I have to do my job." The guard shrugged, their tail curling around their leg. Tails whimpered slightly. 

Sonic kept looking between Knuckles and Tails, noticing the Mobians that started walking inside the store to stare at them. 

"Come on, Liliana." The first employee holding Tails whined. "They're just kids. That thing has been busted for ages and you know that. Remember when you almost had that doctor arrested?"

"He was wearing medical equipment!"

"Which he did not steal." They huffed, patting Tails' arm. "Just go, hun."

Tails nodded, running over to where Knuckles was. The echidna growled, walking away. Sonic followed.

"Hey!-"

"Relax, boss-"

"But I have to check them!" When the fox tried to argue, they tripped, and accidently stepped on Knuckles' robe.

Normally, Knuckles wouldn't have made his next mistake. But Tails had been pulling his arm, Knuckles hadn't noticed the movement and had been caught off guard.

He tripped, falling on top of Tails. 

His cape was pulled off.

A large cracking sound was heard from Tails' bag.

"Liliana!" The employee cried out in shock, quickly running over to help Knuckles back up. The warrior growled in response, shooing them off, lifting himself.

"Are you alright, Miles?"

"Hm." Tails sat up before he paled.

"Was that so hard?-" the boss asked, holding the cape to hand back to Knuckles- but froze on the spot once they saw him. 

Sonic had frozen too, staring at his now exposed older brother- who either didn't notice or didn't care.

"... That's an echidna!" Someone cried out, stepping away from Knuckles. Knuckles froze, slowly feeling his head. His cape was gone. 

"I thought echidnas went extinct?" Another asked, holding out a hand to touch him. Knuckles growled dangerously, an arm curling around his charge.

"I'm calling the police." Someone said, already holding their phone. Another pulled Sonic back, who struggled.

"Wait!-"

"He has the child!" 

"Don't hurt him!" Tails moved away from Knuckles to stand in front of him, arms spread and tail wrapped around his leg. 

"Sweetie- echidnas are dangerous."

"What has it done to you?!"

"Get away from the kid!" A teen screamed, pulling Tails away from him at once. Knuckles' eyes widened, before he growled, holding his fists threateningly.

"Get away from the fox."

"Nuh-uh! You're gonna hurt them!"

Knuckles yelled when someone dared to go near him, making the person quickly go back.

"Ya know..." another teen said thoughtfully. "The arenas would pay a ton for an echidna..." Knuckles' eyes widened.

Tails froze, before flailing in their hold. "Let me go! Let him go! He did nothing to you!!! Sonic!!!" 

"...I'm sure this is a misunderstanding-" Sonic started, being shoved back by someone else. That person was grabbed by Knuckles in an instant, who screamed. 

"Put him down!!" Someone else flew at Knuckles with a stick.

"He didn't do anything to you!!" Tails pulled and pulled... and gained the attention of the teens holding him.

More specifically... they were looking at the dots that kept beeping from his back bag.

"...Kid. Do you have a bomb in there?"

"No way..." Another held Tails tightly as their friend ripped off his back bag. Tails flailed, trying to get out. 

"No!! Give that back!!" He desperately screamed. He had almost yelled for his brothers but managed to contain himself. He was not giving these fools their names.

Knuckles flew towards them, being cut off by a scream. Both Sonic and Tails looked just in time to see the echidna collapse, a security guard standing behind him with a taser.

"...There!"

"No!! Stop!!" Tails kicked his assaulter, flying towards the echidna. "He didn't do anything!-"

"What the world..." The fox holding Tails' back bag pulled out the device that had been beeping.

The Miles-Eccentric.

Their eyes widened in shock. "I know that thing..."

Knuckles groaned, opening his eyes, seeing the stranger hold Tails' bag. His eyes widened. "Miles." He breathed.

Tails turned around- just in time to see the fox smashing his invention into pieces.

"Wait DON'T-"

*SMASH!*

At once, the illusion around Tails' was gone, the bandage around his namesakes in clear view. The rest stared at him in shock.

"...No way!" One of the teens laughed, walking towards the fox cub with a threatening smile. "You're telling me you're who I think you are?"

Tails shrunk in place, but still, held steady ground, making sure to tower over Knuckles. "...get... get ba- hey!"

One of the other foxes grabbed Tails' arms- making Knuckles attack them with a yell. This time, the echidna avoided getting tasered by dodging in time, now expecting it. But by dodging, and Tails not being strong enough to pull free,

The bandage was pulled off instead.

His second tail, seemingly having a mind of its own, uncurled from the other one, both his tails in plain few.

"Oh my god..." Someone else whispered. Before the screaming started.

"It's the FREAK!"

"WHAT IS IT DOING HERE?!"

"I thought it was dead!"

"...well... well... well..." The one holding his bandage dropped it, towering over the fox with a taunting smile.

Tails' blood ran cold.

He knew this fox.

And suddenly, he was four again. 

But before the stranger could do anything, Knuckles screamed, jumping as chaos energy collected in his fist- punching the teen right in the stomach, sending them flying through the clothing racks.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER."

Tails cowered behind him at once, holding onto Knuckles' arm as if his life depended on it, twin tails curled into one. In all the chaos, he searched for his second older brother, expecting him to be yelling at someone or something. To protect them.

Sonic looked scared, eyes wide and pupils small, clearly not in the room right now.

"Come on, honey." Someone pulled his arm. 

"...Sonic..?" Tails asked. His whimper got Knuckles' attention, making his head snap up.

"Hedgehog?"

All Sonic did was stare.

Chapter Text

If you asked Sonic what happened, he would say he didn't know.

Everything happened too fast. Even for him.

All he knew was that both Knuckles and Tails were exposed, they were in danger, they had to run and hide- when Knuckles screamed, jumping as chaos energy collected in his fist- punching the teen right in the stomach, sending them flying through the clothing racks.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER."

And that alone had been enough to send him back in time. 

I mean- come on, he loved Knuckles- 

But never had he seen Knuckles so mad.

It reminded him of-

Sonic looked scared, eyes wide and pupils small, clearly not in the room right now. The screaming of the crowd, mixed with his fear and his instinct that kept screaming run run run RUN wasn't helping.

"Sonic...?" 

"..."

"H-hey!-"

"Let him GO!"

Even as a group of foxes pulled his little brother away, even as another group surrounded big brother using Tails' tech, Sonic did not react.

"Bring it."

"No Knuckles!!" Tails cried out, flailing against the foxes that held him captive. "That tech will-"

Knuckles screamed as someone shot at him with Tails' mini-gun. When he looked up, he looked shocked.

It was strong enough to harm Knuckles.

It was strong enough to harm an echidna warrior.

".....Why would you even build something like that?!"

"I built that when you were with Eggman!- OW!"

"Come on, hun..." another fox tried pulling Sonic aside, their expression sympathetic. "It will be alright..."

Sonic didn't hear any of it. He felt numb, watching his siblings scream and cry...

He wasn't in the room anymore.

He wasn't even in this time.

The tiny hedgehog held tightly onto the owl as she flew and flew, trying to get as far away from the monsters as she could.

Echidna. They were echidna. 

"...He... You little...!!"

Dangerous monsters that wanted to steal his powers and take Longclaw away.

The child held onto his mother tighter. 

He was strong. He had to keep her safe. 

But then she screamed.

They fell.

So. Much. Screaming.

"And no matter what you do..." He heard his mother's voice. "Never. Stop. Running."

"No... Longclaw!"

There were so many echidna.

There was danger! He had to run!! He had to hide!!! Why weren't the others hiding?!

Others? Who were the others?

"So... it's sa..."

The child didn't care- freaking out when one of those echidnas managed to make their way through Longclaw and the portal, grabbing his shoulders.

"Let me go!!" What the echidna said he couldn't understand nor care about, he flailed and trashed and had to get away.

"Sonic, calm down...!"

"Let me go!! I won't go with you!!" Energy built up in his quills and body as he screamed, feeling an electrical shock through his body.

"Wait Sonic... it's okay! You have to calm-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

*BOOM!*

The hands on him were gone. 

He did not hear the screaming of someone young in the background.

The child panted, scrambling up. He... he had done it. He was safe.

No. Not yet.

He had to run.

He had to run.

They all had to run!! 

THEY HAD TO RUN-

"SONIC!"

Sonic gasped, suddenly aware of two small paws touching his face, forcing him to look into a pair of ocean-blue eyes. 

There... there was no screaming. 

When did it stop?

Sonic blinked, and was suddenly, horribly aware they were not in that store anymore. They were in the forest. 

Tails had a death grip on his face, and one of his tails wrapped around Sonic's legs- apparently, Sonic was sitting curled up against the tree. As he looked up, all he saw was Tails, a dead-serious expression on his face, eyes small and out of breath.

He had a cut on his cheek. When did that happen?

"That's- good!" The fox smiled in relief once he saw Sonic was back, his grip becoming less forceful and more gentle. "Good...! That's... ah..." 

"....Tails...?" Sonic uncurled, Tails' namesake moving away as Sonic grabbed his hands. "Bro, what-"

"Shh." Tails shushed, and only now did Sonic notice how shaky his voice sounded and how his arms trembled. Looking up again... Tails looked scared.

"Is he.. hhgg... back to normal, Miles?"

"Yes- yes, he seems fine- you are fine, right?"

"What are you-" his sentence was cut off when he pushed Tails to the side.

Knuckles was laying on the ground, on his stomach, eyes clenched shut in pain as a trembling hand was pressed against his chest.

That Sonic could see it was trembling said a lot.

"W-Woah!" Sonic shot up, running over to his side, before collapsing beside him and grabbing his arm. As he did, he was made aware of the multiple bruises on his body. "What happened?!"

"You don't-" Knuckles cut himself off. "...Doesn't matter."

"What-" Sonic finally took a moment to look around. They were far from the village, it seemed. Deep in the forest. But it was still light, so that much time couldn't have passed. Turning back, he saw Tails with a neutral expression, looking at him worriedly. Knuckles was trying to get up but was clearly in too much pain to do so. 

Tails had a cut on his cheek.

Knuckles had bruises on his back.

Both of Tails' namesakes were wrapped around each other.

Knuckles was painfully clutching his chest. 

The hedgehog's heart sank.

"......What happened..?"

"..."

"Guys...?"

"..." Knuckles grunted, finally managing to sit up- Sonic's eyes almost popped out at the burn wound on his chest. 

"You had a panic attack." Knuckles calmly explained, not making any move to get closer to him. Tails' ears fell, his tail curling around his legs.

"...Panic attack...?" Sonic asked disbelievingly, blinking a couple of times. "Because... of some foxes?"

"Not... not because of that, I think..." Tails shakily said. He inhaled, wiping at his eyes. "You... you kept screaming at us to run and hide."

...Run.

"Never. Stop. Running."

"..." 

"Guys... please-" When Sonic set a step forward, Tails flinched back, which made the older freeze in his steps.

"U-Uhm- sorry..." The fox laughed nervously, taking a step away from Knuckles as well. "I- ahahaha... needaminute"

"...Knuckles." Sonic pleaded. "What happened?"

"Doesn't matter." The warrior grumbled, rubbing over his chest. "We are all three safe. That is what counts."

"I freaked out, come back to see both of you hurt!" Sonic cried out, electricity building up in his quills.

The moment even the smallest spark appeared, Tails flinched back, and Knuckles covered the fox behind him at once. Sonic froze.

Knuckles relaxed, making Tails step away from the echidna. The hedgehog's eyes fell on the wound on his brother's chest.

His heart stopped.

No... no... anything but-

"....Did I do that?"

"..." 

"Knuckles?"

"...You did not mean to." 

Sonic eyes went wide with horror. Knuckles was refusing to meet his gaze. 

"It is alright." He said calmingly, walking forward. Sonic took a step back. "You were panicked. You couldn't help it. It was my fault for crowding you-"

"I could have killed you!" Sonic yelled, not being able to look away from the wound.

Way too close to his heart. Way too close. 

He freaked out again when he felt lightning starting to build up.

No.. no.. no no no no-

A large hand was placed on his shoulder and Sonic almost zapped him again but stopped himself in time. 

Knuckles looked so softly into his eyes, Sonic almost immediately calmed again.

"Breathe." The echidna said, his voice turning into a low rumble as he took Sonic's hand to place it on his own chest. "Like this." And he took a deep breath, holding it until his brother followed. Then, he slowly exhaled. Sonic followed suit. 

"You have to learn to be able to control your power." Knuckles gently explained, leaning his forehead against Sonic's as he closed his eyes. "Now, your power is controlling you."

"..." He had seen this look before. But where...

"I can feel your power trying to form. But it does not know how." Knuckles explained. "I could teach you. If you want me to."

"...I'll like that." Sonic smiled, blinking until the tears in his eyes were gone. Knuckles hummed and pulled away after giving his hand a final squeeze. His smile fell once he saw the injury on Tails cheek again. "...But I would still like to know what happened."

Tails whined. "Can't we just drop it?"

"You're bleeding."

"...Oh."

Knuckles grumbled, suddenly looking angry again, which made Sonic flinch. Knuckles' paused, looking at him in confusion- before a look of both understanding and hurt passed his face. But just as quickly as it buried away.

"These foxes in this village are all dishonorable creatures." He grumbled instead.

"...Sonic..?"

"Hedgehog?"

All Sonic did was stare.

"H-hey- HEY!! STOP!!" Tails wailed as he was pulled away once again. Knuckles' magenta eyes flashed red, raising his fists, ready to break bones.

"Let him GO!"

Even as a group of foxes pulled his little brother away, even as another group surrounded big brother using Tails' tech, Sonic did not react.

One of the foxes seemed to have figured out Tails' tech, pointing it at him. Knuckles snorted.

"Bring it."

"No Knuckles!!" Tails cried out, flailing against the foxes that held him captive. "That tech will-"

Knuckles screamed as someone shot at him with Tails' mini-gun. When he looked up, he looked shocked.

It was strong enough to harm Knuckles.

It was strong enough to harm an echidna warrior.

".....Why would you even build something like that?!"

"I built that when you were with Eggman!- OW!"

Tails' cry of pain made Knuckles roar, yet he was forced to stay down as he was hit again.

Now, Tails was strong.

And he was also smart.

But what was one eight-year-old against a group of adults?

His eyes widened in fear once he saw that same gun that had been used on Knuckles be pointed at him.

Tails built that weapon himself. He had built that weapon to use against Knuckles. An echidna warrior.

He knew what it could do. And Tails knew, without a doubt, it would kill him on the spot. So he stayed put. 

"Now... what is this?~" one of his tails was grabbed, making the fox-cub flinch. The teen holding it- a fox with red fur and yellow eyes, studied it intensely before he scoffed. "And I thought leaving you in the forest would have finished you off. Freak." he yanked it hard, making Tails cry out in pain.

If Knuckles had been mad before, right now he was outraged.

Tails was frozen at once, whimpering and refusing to look at anything- and Knuckles just knew that word had been a trigger.

A trigger that had come before pain.

A trigger he would make sure never activated again.

Looking up, he tried to spot his other brother. Sonic was frozen still, eyes wide with terror, looking right at Knuckles, yet his eyes showed he wasn't there.

Flashbacks.

Oh, poor thing. 

He had to shelter him. Protect him. Protect them both.

But Tails' invention had him pinned down right now.

One of the adult foxes walked over, snatching the back bag out of the younger ones' hands. The other fox frowned.

"Are you sure, Amadeus? I know you don't..."

"I need to see for myself." 

Tails' head snapped up at that voice. No... 

The older fox pulled out a disk, dropped the bag, and turned it around, inspecting it, before his eyes fell on Tails. They looked into each other's eyes.

Those same ocean-blue eyes.

Knuckles understood within a second. 

"...And Rosemary was sure that leaving it in that forest would have gotten rid of it." He mumbled to himself, rolling his eyes. "I told her that monsters don't work like that- ugh. What the fuck is this even supposed to be..." he dropped the disk. 

An adult left a baby in a fucking forest to fend for himself.

And that bastard was calling his baby brother a monster.

Protective older brother kicked in. Suddenly Knuckles didn't feel the weapons as he yelled, launching himself straight at that moron and punched him hard.

The fox had no time to react, screaming as Knuckles' punch had been hard enough to send him flying through a wall. 

"You dare abandon a defenseless child all on his own!? How dishonorable must you be?!"

That shout was enough to break Tails out of his trance, and he blinked. 

Okay... okay... analyze the situation, Miles. 

He was being held down by two foxes, Sonic was hyperventilating, Knuckles was screaming and shouting about honor as he hit and punched anyone who dared to get near, those foxes had his weapons and-

Sonic had the rings.

Another fox had found a bigger weapon from Tails' back, pointing it at Knuckles.

Fight or flight, Miles.

He couldn't fight them. Not without his weapons.

But he wouldn’t freeze up either. Not anymore.

So he grunted and pulled- which didn't do much, honestly. One of the foxes holding him snarled.

"Stay still, freak. Your turn is after that moron."

Don'tfreakoutdon'tfreakout-

So he pulled again. And again. And again.

The others laughed, tightening their grip. "See that? The freak things it's strong enough to beat us!"

"I'm definitely not." Pulled again. "But thank god I'm smart enough to do this instead."

The final pull did the trick, pulling them just slightly forward- but it was enough. The fox-cub raised his tails, making both the older Mobians yelp as they tripped over them, falling flat face onto the ground. Not wasting a second, he jumped.

"Stay back!" He yelled, flying on top of the one holding the gun, making both of them crash onto the ground. Knuckles looked up, wide-eyed. 

The two trashed and turned, the bigger one finally ending up on top of the other. They snarled. "Why you little-"

"Miles!" Knuckles ran over, only to wince as he was shot in the back this time. 

Tails, noticing the fox wasn't standing correctly, managed to push them off- making his assaulter use their claws, and slash at his face, leaving a cut on his cheek. Tails winced, crying out when they stomped on his namesakes.

Knuckles' blood ran cold when he heard a crack.

Tails screamed, his non-injured tail wrapped around the other, Knuckles flew toward them to push them off. Pinning them down, Knuckles punched them. And again.

With the group focusing on Knuckles, Tails took his shot, running over to his other brother and ripping off his satchel, snatching a ring out of it. 

"Knuckles!" He yelled. The echidna took the hint, trying to push his assaulters off, ignoring any stings he felt on his back.

"Come on, big bro." Tails whispered, taking Sonic's hand, before readying the ring. "The living forest." 

He threw the ring, not even waiting for it to create a portal as he dragged Sonic through it. 

Making his way to the portal, Knuckles snatched the bag with all the equipment they had bought, along with the pieces of the Miles-Eccentric, leaving the rest behind. The portal closed.

The portal closed within less than a second. 

Tails gasped, trying to process what the actual fuck just happened before he looked at his older brothers. Knuckles placed the bag down, along with the pieces of the broken invention.

Tails' heart shattered at the sight.

"...I am sorry, Miles."

"It... it's fine." Tails breathed, wincing when his tail twitched. Knuckles quickly caught on, making his way toward the younger.

"Let me see."

And Tails did without hesitation, both namesakes uncurling from each other carefully. Knuckles noticed the sudden trust, feeling his heart warm. Kneeling, he gently put a hand on the injured tail to feel around, feeling the fox twitch.

That didn't feel right. 

The bone there was broken.

Knuckles' expression darkened, honestly prepared to go back and snap the neck of whoever the fuck did that, but was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard his other brother whimper. Looking up, he saw Sonic curled up at the base of a tree, eyes wide and filled with terror.

"...Sonic," he spoke carefully, getting up. "It is alright. It's safe. They're gone."

Knuckles gently put a calming hand on his shoulder, flinching back when Sonic trashed in his hold, hyperventilating getting worse as he pushed.

"Let me go!!" Sonic cried, electricity sparking in his arms. Knuckles froze and quickly grabbed his hands.

"Sonic, calm down!!" That energy could hurt him. Or Tails. And Sonic was panicked. He had to calm down.

"Let me go!! I won't go with you!!" Continued the screaming. Tails looked absolutely shocked, covering his ears as he couldn't handle screaming after what just happened.

He was hurting himself.

Sonic was going to end up hurting himself.

Why was he this distressed? Not even Tails was this upset.

This had to stop. Now.

"Wait Sonic!" Knuckles said, lessening his grip, trying to get through him. "It's okay! You have to calm-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

*BOOM!*

If that was his own screaming or someone else's, the echidna did not know.

But getting hit with electricity hurt.

The force of it was enough to knock him back, making Tails freeze, before running over to his brother. "Knuckles!"

Knuckles groaned, forcing his eyes shut as he pressed a hand against his chest. Chaos...

"Don't worry about me, fox." He groaned out. "Worry about him."

"..." he nodded, turning his attention back to his other brother.

"-.....We are so going back and kicking their butts."

"No need for the butt-kicking. I broke their ribs."

"Huh-?" Sonic blinked, making sure he heard that right, almost tripping. 

Their final stop was Tails' old home. Said fox was on the front, really silent, and holding onto the pieces of his invention Knuckles had managed to save. 

"His father is the one with brown fur and blue eyes?" Sonic's eyes widened. That gave Knuckles the information he needed.

"I threw him through a wall. Broke his ribs."

"......You're awesome."

"I would have done worse if I could."

"We're here." Tails cut them off. The other two looked up.

"...Uhm, Tails..."

"There's nothing here."

The fox winked, a grin spreading across his face. "Is there?" Walking towards a bush, he pulled the leaves away. 

A hidden entrance.

Sonic's eyes widened.

"No way... you lived in a cave?"

"You did too!" Tails cheerfully shot back, sliding inside. The older two looked at each other, before crawling inside.

The inside was a mess.

Papers and robot parts were scattered everywhere, along with a lot of crayons, more equipment... Sonic looked shocked.

"...My cave was much cleaner than this." 

"Oh, shush." Tails waved his hand, looking around for his toolbox. Knuckles looked around, picking up the papers from the floor.

Obviously, Tails had been the one to draw them.

They were instructions for robots, as messy as a young child's handwriting could be, Knuckles hadn't almost recognized it. He chuckled. "Some bright ideas you had, fox."

"I was five! Or six... ah..." Tails blinked. "Which drawing is that?"

"Something about... a mint machine."

Sonic snorted. Tails' muzzle turned red, and he looked away.

"...Four. I was four."

"So you've always been a mint-obsessed brainiac!"

Rolling his eyes, Tails paid Sonic no mind. The hedgehog continued his exploring, eyes falling onto a big computer. His eyes widened.

The fox noticed him looking at it, and shrugged his shoulders. "You would be surprised how much working stuff Mobians throw away. I tracked you with that computer." 

"Really?!" Sonic smiled excitedly, zapping in front of it. "Woah..." 

Knuckles had just been pushing away papers when he spotted something else. Something other than paper. Curious, he reached out to pick it up.

Fabric?

No...

His heart stopped.

"Miles." He said with a strained voice, holding out the bandages to make sure Tails saw it. Sonic looked up. His eyes widened in horror at the red-spotted bandages.

Tails looked up and winced. "Ah... ignore that."

"Is this your blood?"

"Not important-"

"Is. This. Your. Blood?"

"..." Sonic's heart sped up, and he had to wave his hands to make sure electricity didn't spike up. Knuckles took in a sharp breath.

"...Why did you keep these?"

"Those were my only ones."

"And how many times did you re-use them?"

"..."

"I should have cracked his skull open..." Knuckles muttered under his breath, strongly considering going back to the village to do just that. The fox-cub quickly held his hands out in defense.

"It's- it's not so bad! They left me alone once they saw someone else already hurt me so I wore them as long as possible-" his explanation was cut short as Sonic zipped up and hugged him, arms shaking. Knuckles dropped said bandages, not having it in him to hold them any longer. 

"... It's okay." Tails said softly, grabbing Sonic's hands. "I'm not there. And I'm smart! I have my ways to avoid them!"

"..."

"Honest!"

"...Did you find your box of tools?"

"...Not yet." Tails pulled away, trying to fly up to see if his box was on the higher selves- but winced when he moved his tails, quickly wrapping them around each other. So instead, he grabbed a chair, dragging it toward the wall.

Only then did Sonic realize everything was in their size.

Well. That was something.

It had been so long...

Knuckles continued looking through the papers, expression turning sad once he got to the drawings. Messy. Crumbled. Drawn years ago. 

He didn't know what to think of the fact that by the character with two tails, one of them was often crossed out.

Sonic turned his attention back to the computer, scrolling through it. As excited as he was to see the computer, he was having a hard time keeping himself together.

How many times did he have to use those bandages?

How many times did the trick not work?

How many ti-

"I've seen what those villagers did to you. No, you're not going." 

...

Blue knew of this.

Sonic's hands twitched. 

He. Knew. What. Those. Morons. Had. Done.

Granted, his counterpart had tried to stop him- but he could have tried harder! 

Okay... Sonic knew those villagers had not been kind to his brother too. 

But not like this!

Blue knew.

And he didn't tell.

"Found it!" Tails cut his thoughts off, smiling cheerfully from the chair as he held a small toolbox in his hands. Knuckles helped him get down, expression blank.

"That's... everything, right?" Sonic asked, bothered by how unbothered Tails seemed from everything. He hummed, looking through the equipment a final time.

"Batteries... screws... hm, that's everything!" The fox picked out a ring, and Sonic was relieved.

"Green Hi-" he stopped.

"..."

"Home." Then, Tails threw the ring. Their living room came into view. 

Just as he was about to walk through, he caught sight of the shattered pieces of the Miles Eccentric. Expression saddening, he picked it up, walking through. Knuckles followed, carrying the bags with everything they just bought. Just as Sonic was about to walk through, he hesitated.

"..." 

Quickly walking back to the large computer, Sonic turned it off. Better safe than sorry. Then he walked through.

"No- Barry, you blind fool!!!" Blue cried out, waving his arms repeatedly. "Don't travel time- no- you moron!" He huffed, crossing his arms. "He's gonna mess up everything!"

"Uh-huh." Tom chuckled at the reactions. There was the 15-year-old he knew.

"At least he has that doctor guy to help him... He's like Tails!" Tom grimaced at that but didn't comment about how wrong he was. "Hopefully he doesn't mess up too much.."

"..."

"I wonder if I could-"

"No."

Blue snorted at the human's expression, quick to reassure him. "Don't worry, Master Donut. I'm responsible!"

"Sure you are."

"I am!"

"I wasn't the one afraid of the sink."

"But that thing was huge!-" Blue was cut off as a ring portal opened in the middle of the living room. He yelped, before his expression turned serious at once, raising his fists and ready to fight whatever was attacking. Tom quickly got up.

"It's just the boys! Just the boys. MADDIE! THEY'RE BACK!!"

The human girl was quick to rush inside, eyes wide and waiting for her sons to appear. Ozzie ran after her, leash on. Maddie had been about to go on a run.

The first to appear was Tails, who was clutching something to his chest, both namesakes wrapped around each other.

His illusion was gone. He had a cut on his cheek. His back bag was missing.

Blue growled, trying to get up. Maddie was quick to rush towards him. "Honey! What happened?!"

"..." Tails shook his head, smile falling and biting his lip.

Knuckles was next, carrying two large bags- what was that bruise?!

Tom let go of Sonic's counterpart, not seeing the way his eyes widened in realization, walking towards his oldest son. 

Sonic was the last, quickly stepping through as the portal closed behind him, laughing when Ozzie jumped on top of him. "H-hey!! I missed you too, big guy- Haha!!"

"Are you three alright?" Tom asked, not missing the injuries on Knuckles' back. The echidna winced, before lowly mumbling.

"Do not worry about us, fa- Tom. Worry about the fox. I believe his tail is broken."

"Excuse me?"

Blue's expression went dark. Maddie made Tails turn around, cooing once she managed to make him uncurl his namesakes. "Oh, baby..." 

Tails looked like he was about to cry, clearly keeping it together. Sonic's arms were shaking, hugging Ozzie tightly.

"..." Blue inhaled and exhaled, calming his nerves.

"...Did you restore honor to your bro?"

"I broke their ribs."

"Knuckles!" Maddie cried out in shock. Blue cheered.

Fox hunting wasn't something Carl did anymore. Not ever since the fox-mobian had appeared in his life.

He had gotten rid of all his furniture with dead fox skin that same day, not wanting to spook the kid more than he probably already had. 

But that didn't make him stop from grabbing his pistol at night, and riding around the forest and neighborhood at ungodly hours.

Perhaps it's something that stuck after the whole "Blue Devil" thing. Perhaps he was actually crazy and fitted his name. Either way, it brought Carl comfort to see no aliens or Robotnik threatening the planet again.

And it was harmless enough. It's not like he hurt anyone. Just a small patrol for peace of mind. 

The old man had been on his way back home, the sky long turned black and streetlights turned on. He wasn't paying too much attention, lost in thoughts, but that was fine. Carl had driven this road oftentimes, controlling the wheel of his truck on auto-pilot. 

So, his blue devil had doubled now, hm? And broke his leg. How he managed that, Carl didn't understand. Maddie had taken time off work, and even Tom had been absent. But he should be returned next week.

Oh well. 

Feeling soon he would need to turn left, Carl looked up the road to make sure-

There was a child on the highway.

Eyes widening, Carl pressed down the brakes with all his might, steering his wheel right at once. The car spun out of the road, and the man trashed and turned in his vehicle until he was slammed into his seat as the car crashed into a tree. 

He panted, the adrenaline and shock making his arms shake, before jumping out of the car, wincing as his hips hurt. 

Excuse his language, but what the fuck?!

Where did a child come from?! What were they doing on a highway?! And in the middle of the night?!

Where did they go? 

His heart stopped.

Did he... hit them? 

"Kiddo?" He called, suddenly cutting off to cough. He hadn't even realized his car had been smoking, nor that he had inhaled the smoke. 

The road was empty. 

Heart thumping hard in his chest, Carl first checked the front of the car. Empty. No blood. Oh, thank god.

Did they run off?

"Kid? Where did you go?" He called, and stupidly, walked to the spot where the child had stood earlier. Did... did he need to report this? Surely he did, right? His car crashed, he was most likely injured, and maybe even a missing child case?

Sighing tiredly, Carl spotted something on the ground. The spot where the stranger had stood earlier. He frowned, and kneeled to see it closer What was that? 

In the dark, he didn't recognize it, nor did he know the texture. So Carl walked back to one of the streetlights to hold the item under a lamp.

A... pink quill..?

Chapter Text

"Hm..." Maddie hummed, poking Blue's leg with a pencil a final time. The hedgehog huffed.

"See? All better!"

"It was broken yesterday..."

"Faster healing. Told ya." He shrugged. "It's still a bit sore, but I can walk!"

"..." the human sighed again, before completely removing the cast. Blue cheered.

"You're the best!"

"So I've heard." 

The speedster stretched his leg experimentally, grinning when he felt nothing out of place. Just a slight soreness, but nothing more. So he got up.

"Hold it, mister." She grabbed his arm. "No running yet."

"...uuuuugh." the hedgehog collapsed into the couch again. Maddie patted his head. 

"Oh, well." He huffed and got up. "Guess I can hang out with Tails, then. Where is he?"

"In his room."

Blue held a thumbs up, before speeding upstairs. He heard Maddie call after him. "What did I just tell you!?"

He knocked on the attic door, before pushing it up. "Yo, Tails!" He didn't know why the fox had been left alone, other than one of his tails now being in a cast, just like Blue's leg had been. But Knuckles was resting in his room, too! He knew his counterpart had left with Tom to get some screws (they had run out) so why wouldn't Tails sit with Knuckles, then?

The fox kit was curled up on his bed, back facing him, a single tail curled around his chest as the other, casted one simply lay behind him. Odd...

"...Hey, kid." He closed the door under him, before walking to the bed, and sitting on it. "You up for some Mario Kart?" He asked, smiling kindly.

That smile fell when he heard sniffles. Looking closer, he saw tears slipping down his cheeks.

"...Oh, Tails." This wasn't his brother, he knew that. But any version of his brother crying broke his heart. 

He set a hand on his leg, making the fox whine, but look up.

Blue smiled.

"We're back!" Tom called, not even holding back his eyerol as blue zipped past him. Sonic was by Maddie at once, quickly jumping on top of her.

"Mom!"

"Hi, honey." She ruffled his quills. "Find everything you need?"

"Yep! Even got some mints and grapes." 

"That's good." She looked at her husband. "Extra, as I asked?"

He nodded. Sonic frowned. "Extra?"

"Blue seems just as obsessed with mints as your brother is." She chuckled, before looking up. "They've been up there for a while... hm."

"I'll go call them down!" Sonic cheerfully chirped, zipping to the kitchen to grab a bag of mints, before running to their room. He opened the door, smiling brightly. "He-" he cut himself off.

Both hedgehog and fox were curled up on Tails' bed, the fox on the older's lap, shaking and sniffling in his hold. Blue was holding him close, gently scratching behind his ears, looking emptily ahead of him.

"-does not mean they love you any less." He said, making Sonic wonder what they had been talking about. "Those guys are morons. But that does not mean that Tom and Maddie are too. And hey!" He playfully added. "What would my counterpart be without his awesome little bro to keep him in a straight line?"

Tails giggled and pulled away. He wiped some tears away from his eyes. Blue smiled, cupping his cheek.

"You are not there anymore, baby brother. You are here. Safe. With an awesome family. Your parents look awesome." He puffed out his chest. "And your brother is the one and only, Sonic Wa-... wa... what was your last name again?"

The fox giggled, his good tail moving happily behind him. "Wachowski."

"Sonic Wachowski." He said before eyes fell on his counterpart. "Hi, mini-me."

Tails looked up and waved. "Wanna play Mario Kart?" He asked with a hopeful voice. Sonic was confused but nodded.

Blue patted Tails' head a final time, before getting up, and stretching his limbs. "My cast got removed." He cheerfully notified, walking towards the stairs and winking at his counterpart. "Which means I'm the fastest being alive again.~"

It was meant as plauful teasing, just like how he always did with his baby brother.

Not realizing that Sonic didn't have the experience to realize that.

If he was doing this to spite Sonic... it was working.

"Aaaaaaand-" Blue clicked his tongue, smirking as he beat Sonic in the final level. 

He didn't know what hurt more: the fact that his high score was destroyed or the fact that Tails cheered.

"You didn't even blink!" The kid gasped out, and again, that strange tone Sonic never knew how to describe was back. But clearly, Blue did, and just smiled fondly.

"Give mini-me some credit, kiddo." Sonic was starting to hate that nickname. "I'm only this good 'cause he showed me how to play. Who knows..." he smirked. "Maybe you'll beat him someday."

"No, he won't." Sonic snapped, making Tails frown. His ears drooped. 

Blue huffed, annoyance clouding his voice. This guy couldn't take a hint, could he? He sent Sonic a look he didn't understand, before ruffling Tails' bangs. "Sure you can, kid. With practice." 

Tails lit up, his namesake excitedly moving up and down at the idea of becoming just as good at something as Sonic was. But clearly, the hedgehog didn't get it and just huffed. 

Just as he had been about to say something, Tom walked inside, looking puzzled. "Hey, kids. Is Maddie still around?"

"She left for work." The fox replied, purring when his ears were scratched. Blue chuckled. 

"Hm... I'm gonna have to return tomorrow, don't I..." the human mumbled mostly to himself, but looked more concerned than anything. He left, going to the kitchen.

Both hedgehogs frowned, looking at the direction Tom had come from.

Knuckles' room.

"..." Blue gave Tails the controller back without a word and got up.

"Blue?"

"Just gonna check something, bud." He smiled kindly. "Go play with your big bro, hm?"

His face lit up, quickly curled up beside the other hedgehog. Sonic stiffened when a cast touched his back, before moving slightly forward to not press any pressure on it.

"Where are you going, other me?"

"Gonna check on Knux."

"Not a good idea." Sonic quickly warned. "I tried this morning- he just wanted to be left alone."

"Hm." Was all Blue said as he left. Sonic huffed again.

That idiot must have a death wish.

"Come on, Knux." The hedgehog cooed, close enough to hug but not doing so. He didn't understand what happened. The echidna had just hit a building and smashed it! And it had been awesome! 

He got no response from the older mobian, before- "...You should go before you hurt yourself, Sonic."

His voice was soft.

The echidna rarely used his name. The hedgehog frowned.

"You may be stronger, but I can protect myself!" The echidna flinched and sighed.

"Sonic."

"I fight Eggman all the time!"

"Eggman is human." The echidna reminded, not daring to look at him. "He can have as many machines as he wants, but that does change anything. I just need to lose control once and..." he sucked in a deep breath.

The hedgehog had almost been crushed under that building. 

If the fox hadn't pulled him from under it in time, he would have been crushed under it.

"...Aw, Knux." The hedgehog whined unhappily, before resting his head on the echidna's shoulder.

"Knuckles?" Blue asked, knocking on the door of the room twice. He grinned. "It's the most awesome hedgehog in the universe, coming to bless you with his presence!"

"....go away, Sonic."

Ah. See. Full name. They were the same, after all. Blue could work with that.

"Wrong hedgehog.~" he sang, before opening the door. He frowned once he saw the echidna just... laying in bed, hugging a pillow.

The echidna had always liked hugs, despite popular belief.

"...Is your name not Sonic?"

"Well, yeah. But I don't think I'm the Sonic you thought I was." Blue shrugged, sitting at the foot of the bed. He smiled. "What's up, big guy?"

"...Go away." 

"Knuckles."

"You should leave before you hurt yourself."

"You should leave before you hurt yourself."

Yep.

The same echidna. 

"Me? Hurting myself? Please."

"..." Knuckles looked at his leg, unimpressed. Blue huffed.

"Okay- aside from that."

"..." his gaze fell on the bandages around Knuckles' chest. His expression fell.

"...Sorry about that." The warrior flinched and looked up. 

"About what?"

"That." He pointed at his chest. "I know my work when I see it. Signed and everything." He tried joking, but it fell on deaf ears. They fell into silence.

"...What is your version of me like?"

Well. That was unexpected. But Blue smiled anyway. 

"Personality-wise? The same."

"...Are you sure?"

"Hm. Always worried about others. Seems to think he can take on the world, for some reason. Hates my guts." He chuckled. "He has a bit more if a temper though." Knuckles looked away.

"...I do not hate you, Sonic."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"?" Blue looked up. He froze when he saw just how miserable the older looked. 

But why would he-

"Yeah." He confirmed, leaning over to pat his leg. "What brought this on?"

"...When we were on Westside Island. We were attacked." 

The hedgehog hissed. "Foxes?"

"The fox's father was there." 

Blue's hand tensed. Knuckled look up, to see his expression had turned into stone.

"What."

Knuckles sat up. "Do not worry, hedgehog. I gave him my opinion. Though I do wish I had done worse."

"..." Blue sat there, unmoving. Knuckles continued. "His father-"

"Amadeus."

"...What?"

"That moron is not his dad." Blue huffed, crossing his arms and looking offended. "His name is Amadeus Prower. Either call him that or call him Tails' donor, not father." 

"...Good to know." The echidna hummed, not asking how Blue knew this. "His... other... donor...?"

"Rosemary." The name alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Not his mom, she doesn't deserve that. A monster is what she is." 

The older did not question why the hedgehog's entire personality seemed to shift.

He knew a protective older brother when he saw one.

...Perhaps he could steal a ring later.

"...Miles fought back."

"He did?" Now that seemed to snap out of whatever war he had been planning. Knuckles nodded.

"He was scared. But he fought back. That is how he broke his tail."

"..."

"They recognized me as an echidna." He continued, shuddering at the memory. "There was a lot of screaming and you... seemed afraid of me."

Now that was not what he expected. "What?"

"Your other self froze with fear. I thought he was scared of the foxes and got them out of the village. But he was not. He was scared of me."

Knuckles curled up, the memory replaying in his mind. The way Sonic had screamed and wailed for Knuckles, for the evil echidna to get away-

Blue grabbed his hands. The warrior flinched. 

"Well... I'm not afraid of you." He smiled. "I doubt my counterpart is, too." 

"He is. And I know it is not my fault." He sighed. "But knowing your little brother is afraid of you-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there." Blue cut him off, holding a finger to his lips. "There is no such thing as a little brother being afraid of the older one. That's impossible." 

"But-"

"Tut-tut-tut-tut. I'm not done." 

"Winner!" Sonic cheered, holding up the controller to celebrate. Tails didn't even seem upset and cheered along with him. 

"You did it!"

"Sure I did!"

"Can you teach me!?"

"I can try!" 

Sonic seemed to have lost his annoyance, back to his old self. And that was awesome! Tails lit up. The duo turned to the door when they heard footsteps.

Blue came walking inside with a gentle expression on his face, one hand holding Knuckles' own and dragging the echidna along with him. The oldest was silent, seeming exhausted.

"Mini-me!" Blue called, pushing Knuckles onto the couch, before plopping on the ground, between the two brothers. Tails giggled, quickly scooting aside. Sonic looked surprised.

"...How did you-"

"Make sure to talk with him later, hm?" Blue whispered content to watch the brothers play. 

If anyone heard snores from behind them, no one mentioned it.

"Yo, Knux," Sonic whispered, gently shaking his brother's shoulder. Knuckles woke slowly, which was new before he blinked.

"Sonic?"

"Hey, bro." Sonic smiled. "Come on. Dinner's ready." 

"..." Knuckles nodded, sat up, and stretched. Sonic ignored the bandages covering his midsection. 

Dinner passed on as usual, but Knuckles avoided talking to Sonic, which... hurt. Had he done something wrong? The glances Blue shot him didn't make him feel any better. 

So, the hedgehog did the most responsible thing he could think of.

Run.

...Yeah. Okay. Maybe he should stop doing that. Especially after what happened on Westside Island. But good luck telling that to his instincts! 

It's okay. Tom would understand. 

So now he found himself in his and Tails' shared room, curled up on his bed and reading one of his old comics. He had finished all the new ones. 

The silence was broken four minutes later when there was a soft knock on the door. The hedgehog thought it was either Tom or Maddie.

His expression fell when he saw his counterpart, who smiled. "Hey, mini-me."

"Hm." Sonic turned back to his comic, refusing to look at Blue. Did this guy have to have a say in everything? You're awesome and better, we get it!

Blue, sadly, did not pick up on Sonic's annoyance, and closed the door under him instead, before zipping up beside him. 

"Is it good for you to even use your leg that much already?"

"Probably not." Blue shrugged before he grinned. "Not like I care though."

Sonic scooted away when Blue plopped on the bed.

"So, what's up?"

"Fine."

"Hm." The older hummed disbelievingly. "For someone fine, you don't seem quite good, mini-me."

Stop calling me that.

"I'm fine." He spat again. Blue blinked, noticing the way Sonic was tapping a finger. And chuckled.

"I do that too, whenever I'm stressed." He pointed out, making Sonic stop at once. He frowned.

"...Say. Did you talk with your big bro, yet?"

"Who?"

"...Knuckles?" Blue sat straight, not liking the way Sonic was talking. He... he didn't recognize this. Not in himself, at least.

But where...

Ah.

"You know Knuckles is your brother, right?" He joked, nudging Sonic's elbow. He stopped when the hedgehog growled.

"Your brother, you mean?" He snapped, making Blue sigh.

"No, other me. Yours. And Tails'."

"Doesn't feel like it..." 

"...Hey." Blue pushed his comic away, expression dead serious. Sonic, however, tried to pull away at once.

"I am not one of those therapy practice dummies you can practice on!"

"I just wanna set the record straight!" Blue huffed, not letting go. "Knuckles and Tails are your brothers, not mine. Just like how Mrs. Maddie and Mr. Tom are your parents. You know that, right?"

"Leave me alone!" Electricity spiked in his quills, making Sonic groan. Great! Just great! He was losing control again! 

Bet his perfect counterpart never lost control. 

"Oh- Sonic, please-"

"Leave me alone!" Sonic pushed him hard.

The hedgehog's eyes widened, tipping back from the bed as he was pushed off, landing roughly on his feet-

And there was a rough CRACK! when Blue landed wrong on his foot before he fell on his back.

Sonic froze in shock, before quickly looking down. Blue groaned, clutching his previously injured leg, but still smiled at his counterpart. "H-hey, mini-me, it's okay-"

"Stop calling me that!" Sonic yelled, panicked by the scene. 

Blue was hurt. Someone was hurt. Because of Sonic. Again.

"O-okay! Okay." The older sat straight, not liking it when the electricity increased. "Other me, you- you gotta calm down, you're gonna lose control-"

"Stop acting like you're better than me!" Sonic growled back, eyes flashing blue. The guy twisted his ankle and still tries to be more "understanding" and "kind" and better?

"Sonic?!" Came a yell from downstairs. "What's going on up there?!"

"Nothing, ma'am!" Blue answered back, which just made his anger worse. "Everything is fine!"

He was Sonic.

Not this... this imposter.

"No! Nothing is fine!" The hedgehog passed and flapped his hands, trying to at least calm the electricity down. "You keep trying to be better than me! You are better than me! You're perfect, I get it!"

"What?" He looked perplexed. 

"You don't have to rub in my face how you're better at everything! You're the better version of me, I can see that!"

"Sonic!!" Came another call from downstairs. "We're coming up there!"

Great, have his parents- no. Blue's parents are disappointed in him while his counterpart was perfect-

"I'm not better than you!" Blue called out, surprised. This... this wasn't what he thought was bothering him. "I'm just trying to show you how to do stuff!"

"Because you're better than me?!"

"Because you have no clue of what you're doing!" Blue replied. "I don't want you to learn the way I did! I was just trying to set an example-"

"You're good, I know!" The younger hedgehog was refusing to listen. Blue didn't blame him. Wrong choice of words. "I can do things on my own! But nooooo, you are always better, and keep rubbing it in my face! Everyone likes you more! Well, they can have you!"

"No one likes me more, Sonic-"

"You're Better, stronger, more skilled, smarter, faster, and I get it!" He had tears in his eyes, heartbroken from how much more everyone seemed to prefer his counterpart over him. "Tails is so much happier with you! You can talk with Knuckles while he won't even look at me. Mom and dad are so different from you, everyone likes you more! How am I supposed to live up to that?!"

Blue looked horrified. No... no... this...

Not this again. 

"Sonic." He pressed, expression serious again. Lightening build up and up, and that can't be safe. "You need to breathe through your nose and keep your mouth closed, it will allow-"

"STOP IT!" Was this guy serious? "I will never be like you! But guess what?! You will never be like me. You will never take my life!"

"Other me-"

"You can't fix everything, nor change it! That you've never had a family doesn't mean you get to take MINE!"

Lightening struck.

All the lights went out.

Sonic panted, still on high from his outburst, only managing to see red. God, it felt good to say it out loud.

However, he regretted all of it the moment he saw Blue's face.

He was frozen in shock, eyes twitching.

".....Take your life?" He asked in disbelief. "Take your LIFE!?" Sonic had to take a step back from the sudden rise in volume.

"Are you kidding me?!" The older asked, voice high and pitchy and so unlike the guy Sonic had gotten to know these past couple weeks. Blue honestly looked offended, eyes wild.

"I have a family." He pressed, taking a step forward. "I have a baby brother I have raised, I have my good friend who I'm pretty sure still hates me I have the girl of my dreams! I have two friends from who I'm also sure hate me but who gives a shit?!" 

Woah. Curse words.

Sonic blinked, not sure if he saw tears in his eyes. Blue growled, arms hovered and twitching, as if not sure what to do with them. "I have a life." He gasped. "It's not a great one- but it sure as fuck is a solid one. Sure, I have to fight Robotnik daily but that's my home. And no, I don't have any parents! I don't need parents! I am one!"

The speedster flinched back when his counterpart hit the wall. 

"And yes, I have been trying to fix a lot here. Because you clearly have no idea of what you are doing! You can't understand Tails or Knuckles- I was trying to help you! Do you have any idea why they prefer to spend time with me?! It's because you won't!' Blue groaned loudly, not noticing the shocked look on Sonic's face.

"But... but I was..." he said weakly.

"No, you were not." Blue crossed his arms. "Why do you think I let Tails win? How do you think I know how to get Knuckles to move? How do you think I know them so well? Why do you think that you don't?" 

"I have known that fox for years- heck, I raised him!" Blue grew frustrated. "I may not have spent as much time with Knuckles as I did with Tails but at least I tried! At least I talked with him! Unlike you! All you seem to do is run! And I understand! You've been running your entire life. How are you supposed to learn anything new if there's no one to show it?! That's what I was trying to do! I fix stuff because-"

The hedgehog shut up with a gasp, eyes wide, suddenly looking terrified.

"...Other me?"

"I fix stuff here because I can't fix it there." The speedster whispered to himself in horror, only now realizing what he had done. "I- I'm here, but Eggman is there- the danger, the emeralds, everything is there and I just left and-

The duo froze when electricity spiked once again.

This time... in Blue's quills.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Blue shook his head, gritting his teeth. "I... I'm sorry, other me. I didn't realize what I- hg. I... I... in four, hold seven, out eight, Sonic..." he whispered to himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply until thr tiny spark calmed down. He looked... tired.

"...I'm sorry. I gotta go."

His counterpart was gone before Sonic could comment. He was left there in stunned silence.

He never realized his parents looking through the crack of the door.

It was getting late.

The outside had long gone silent, the sky faded dark- but there was no sign of his counterpart, still.

Sonic had refused to leave his room, already knowing there was a lecture waiting for him once he left. 

He was allowed to feel.

But that didn't stop him from the guilt he felt, as well. 

Yeah, Blue had been... annoying, to say at least. And it drove him crazy that his counterpart seemed better at everything, but...

That wasn't his fault, Sonic begrudgingly thought. He wanted to blame Blue, just like he had done before, but after that outburst... was it Blue's fault?

...

Blue said he raised Tails.

Sonic flinched. Tails was eight... he was fifteen... and even though Sonic had no idea when Blue and his brother met... he had to have been at least seven. 

"..." He groaned, smushing his face into his pillow. This was all confusing, and for once in his life, he was stuck. This was new. He didn't like it. 

His sulking was cut off by a knock on his door. A hard, steady one. Knuckles.

"G' 'way'." He mumbled. Knuckles climbed inside anyway, frowning.

"...Blue told us what happened."

Oh, great.

"Oh really?" He sarcastically asked, curling up further. "If you came here to get mad at me, just leave, Knuckles."

"..." The echidna ignored his protests and walked over, sitting on the bed. He didn't look at the hedgehog. Just sat in silence.

"...When I was little after my clan disappeared." He started. "I was trying to cut wood for the winter. I did not want to retrieve the wood myself, but it had to be done. So I found an axe in the village but found it too heavy to be raised long enough to cut. I tried spheres, but they were not big enough. I tried to find any wildlife to attack the tree but got myself hurt. I was frustrated. I got angry. And I punched the tree." 

"The tree broke in half."

"..." Sonic looked up, not understanding why Knuckles was telling him this. But silently listened.

"I broke my hand." The echidna looked down. "And I killed the bird family residing in the tree." 

"I dragged the tree to the village, but again, could not cut it. I got angry and punched it again. This time... I destroyed one of the older tents." Knuckles closed his eyes at the memory. The little brother frowned.

"...And you are telling me this because...?"

"I did not understand how dangerous chaos energy could be." Knuckles looked up, looking tired. "If my clan had been... with me, I could have very well gravely injured one of them. So I learned myself how to control it."

Sonic huffed, annoyance returning at once, and crossed his arms. "If your message is that you learned all that stuff on your own, why even bother telling me all that? I already know I can be-"

"I broke my hands trying to learn, Sonic." 

The hedgehog froze, staring at Knuckles with disbelief. The echidna thought... before gently removing one of his gloves, holding his hand out for Sonic to see. It was covered with scars.

"I broke my hands many times trying to control their strength." His brother admitted. "And I am certain Blue must have hurt his legs enough times before he could control his speed. No one can have that much control without practice. I know you never tried to control it."

"Hey!" He sounded offended. He stopped when Knuckles chuckled.

"You had no reason to control your power, hedgehog." He reminded. "You did not know what your power is nor did you have anyone to show you. So you just let happen. But Blue had his world depending on him. To control that energy. To stop Robotnik over and over from a young age. So he did. Painfully, most likely. But he did."

"And?"

"If that had been you." Knuckles started. "And Tails had chaos energy like you. Would you want the fox to learn the way we did?"

"Wha- no!"

"Why not?"

"Why let him be hurt when I can prevent it?" Sonic asked, clearly offended, until his eyes widened.

......oh.

"..." he stared in disbelief at his knees.

Oh.

Knuckles smiled, satisfied, and tipped his head back, closing his eyes as he put back on his glove. Sonic blinked.

Perhaps they were not so different after all. 

"..." he looked back at Knuckles- more specifically, the bandages around his chest. If Sonic had listened to all his previous offers in training...

"..." the echidna blinked open an eye when he felt two, smaller arms wrap around him. Sonic sighed.

"I messed up."

"That is alright." A single hand cupped his back, pulling the younger closer. "He did too. The important thing is you learn from your mistakes. And improve." 

"..." Sonic looked up, and just… stared. And gave himself time to take a good look at Knuckles. 

The echidna did not seem mad… not in the slightest. He had a soft look on his face, his smile slightly upwards, a spaced-out yet tired and… mature look in his eyes.

A look that Sonic hadn't recognized before. A look that he had seen on Blue several times.

That was the face of an older brother. 

And suddenly, Sonic had much more understanding for his counterpart than he had before.

"...Knock knock?" The duo looked up once their door was opened, revealing a tiny fox kit, who was hesitating to step inside. His ears were dipped down, eyes wide. 

"Uhm… I got worried…"

Knuckles smiled knowingly and held out his free arm. The fox's face lit up, not hesitating to dive straight into his arm and purr. His trust in Knuckles had grown a lot since yesterday…

The echidna looked surprised at the sound, before smiling good-heartedly, smile widening when his good tail was draped over the older two.

Without meaning to, Sonic smiled softly.

"If I was a hedgehog in another world, where would I be?"

Home was his first answer. But that was kinda hard. Sonic huffed, stopping his run in the woods. 

He had been looking for his counterpart forever. In fact, he must have been looking for so long, Maddie must be spamming him by now! 

Sonic opened his phone to check the time.

It had been three full minutes.

"..."

Curse you, superspeed. 

Sonic groaned, slamming his head against the trunk of a tree out of annoyance. After his talk with Knuckles (and after asking for permission), he started searching for his counterpart, hoping to bring him back. He was starting to grow worried, even if the guy could handle himself. So he had been looking at places where Sonic himself would hide.

His cave, Crazy Carl's house, the woods, blah blah- obviously stay away from water…

…

Perhaps he had been going wrong about this. Blue didn't need to be exactly like Sonic…

Hm… okay. New plan. If he were Knuckles, where would he hide?

Knuckles wouldn't hide… but he did love nature… flowers… sunsets…

Ah.

Sonic sped off towards the cliffside Knuckles liked to sit at. It had a pretty view.

And there was his counterpart.

The hedgehog was staring in front of him silently, eyes focused on the stars above. He was unconsciously holding his previously-hurt leg. Sonic's heart shuddered at the memory.

This… this is what Knuckles meant.

"...Does it still hurt?" He made himself known, yet the other didn't even flinch. Didn't turn around to face him, either.

"...Nah." he shrugged. "Just sore."

"..."

"..." 

Sonic walked up towards him, yet his counterpart didn't move an inch. He sighed.

"Hey, other me… I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Sonic blinked. What?

"...I'm sorry?"

"I get it." Blue sounded hollow, curling up further yet eyes not leaving the sky. "I was being too bossy. I… I forgot you're me, but not me." He trailed off. "Guess big brother instinct isn't always it… so I'm sorry. For making you believe I wanted your family."

"..." Sonic sat down beside him, legs crossed. "Well… I get it too."

No comment.

"...Knuckles told me how hard chaos energy is to learn." Sonic continued. "And… I knew that. But I guess I never realized. I never had to think about it… I never had anyone to worry of hurting before… but I guess you did, hm?"

"..." Blue sighed, understanding what Sonic was hinting at. No secret now.

"I found out the hard way." He murmured, curling up further. "I just... I didn't want you to find out like that too. But I didn't realize... you're me, but not me me. You... didn't do the same stuff I did. I guess I... treated you the way I treat myself...? I'm sorry." 

"..."

"I met Tails when he was four." Sonic flinched. That… that was young. "I found him in the forest, hurt, and starving half to death. I thought Robotnik had attacked him, treated his wounds, and let him go… but then I saw a group of foxes attacking him."

His voice turned dark. Sonic looked to his side, surprised to see the expression of anger on the chill guy's face. 

"For god's sake- they kept yelling about how his extra tail is a curse. About how they felt sooooooo bad for "Poor Mister and Misses Prower." He huffed, offended. His expression turned even darker.

"...Did you know Tails has an older brother?"

"Yeah? Us?" Sonic smiled slightly. That fell when he saw the expression on Blue's face.

"Biological older brother." He clarified, making Sonic freeze. "He was the guy who had been about to punch him. I scared them off. I took the kid with me. Raised him ever since."

"...If you knew how bad they are, why did you even let us go?" Sonic asked, leaning on his arms.

"You were there." Blue shrugged. "I trust myself to protect my baby brother. I didn't think they… and… chaos, I'm the worst." He leaned his head into his arms.

"Wha- why?"

"Because I let him go. Because I want to go." Blue grumbled, clearly frustrated. He started waving his arms around in anger. "I'm here. But they are there. With fu- freaking Eggman. Who has the chaos emeralds!" He cried out. Sonic was shocked to see the tears in his eyes.

"They… they can handle themselves, surely they can?"

"..." the hero sighed.

"Tails had the final chaos emerald." 

His blood ran cold. "...What?"

"Tails had the final emerald Eggman is after. It was powering the plane." Blue took in a shuddering breath. "And he teleported me here because he thought I had it… so what is he gonna do to him? To them? Knux and Amy are great but-..."

"...How am I supposed to protect them if I'm not there?"

"..." Sonic pulled the other into a hug. He pretended not to feel the tears that dripped onto his legs.

"Mom! Dad!" Sonic called, running back inside. His counterpart was walking slowly behind him, starting to gain a bit of his energy back but still tired.

Not sleepy tired. But tired of worry. A worry the hedgehog had had since the minute he got here. One Sonic could now recognize, with his counterpart's obsessing about how he was supposed to fix stuff. 

No one called for them from the house. 

Sonic sped into the living room with a wide smile, swinging over the couch to greet his family. "Mom! Dad!"

"..." everyone silently looked up. 

Tom, Maddie, and… Carl? Were sitting on the couch, all three of them having a pained expressions on their face. Knuckles looked worried, while Tails looked more surprised than anything. 

"...Hey, what's with the family meeting?" The hedgehog joked. Tom coughed. 

"Is Blue with you, Sonic?"

Ow.

Sonic ignored the hurt. They all looked serious. So he nodded. "Yo, Blue! Mom and dad are calling you!"

As the second speedster walked back, Sonic noticed Tom holding one of his quills. Odd…

"Uhm… hi?" Blue folded his hands behind his head, right after he wiped his nose with a finger. His eyes fell on Carl. "Ya… need something?"

"..." Carl sighed, got up, and kneeled in front of the hedgehog. Before he asked;

"Is this what I think it is?"

He held something out. Sonic couldn't see what- but Blue clearly did, because he froze on the spot. Sonic looked past him to see what it was.

His eyes popped out at the sight of the pink quill. 

Chapter Text

Blue was silent the entire car ride, staring mindlessly at the quill he hadn't let go of since last night. Sonic sat beside him on the right, while Knuckles sat on his left. Tails sat on Knuckles' lap, while Tom and Maddie were in the front. In front of them, Carl's truck led the way. 

Blue had immediately recognized the quill, thankfully, because Tails wouldn't have been able to scan it without his Miles Electric. (He still mourned the loss of the device. Tom had encouraged him to build a new, updated one.)

Originally, the hedgehog had wanted to bolt right then and there, but Maddie had stopped him: It was late, he wouldn’t be able to see anyway, and the kids needed sleep. School had been called off, again (they should really stop doing that but it was for a good reason!) So they promised to go as soon as possible (after breakfast)

From the bags under his eyes, Sonic could tell his counterpart hadn't slept at all. He didn't blame him.

How did his friend get here?

Why is she here?

Does that mean the others are here as well?

Who's protecting Mobius if they're here?!

Blue held onto the quill tighter. 

"You said her name was Amy, right?" Tom asked, looking into the mirror to see if Blue changed at all. He just numbly nodded.

"Amy Rose." 

"I hope she's alright…" Maddie muttered worriedly, looking outside as more and more trees started to appear in the landscape. "I don't want to scare you, honey, but there are hunters in this area…" she had found that out the hard way when both Knuckles and Tails had gotten shot by tranquilizers there. Knuckles had just gotten ill, as the medicine didn't work on his echidna DNA, but Tails hadn't woken up for hours, ending up ill afterward. (Hey. The guns were made specifically for foxes…)

"Some hunters can't take Amy down." Blue huffed, looking offended before he smiled a dreamy smile. "She's too stubborn for that…"

"..." Tails waved a hand in front of Blue's face. He didn't even blink, apparently stuck in his daydream. 

"...Reminds of someone, doesn't it, Tom?" 

"We don't talk about that." Tom didn't meet her gaze, while Maddie chuckled. She stopped when she felt the car slowing down.

Carl had stopped.

Once the car was parked at the side of the road did everyone get out, Knuckles not letting go of the fox so he could keep his tail supported- or at least, that's what he told everyone.

He wasn't letting those hunters near his baby brother again…

"I found 'em here." Carl pointed at the road, making Tom wince. 

"And you crashed the car?"

"Yup. There." Tom followed his gaze.

The car had, apparently, left a dent in a tree. 

"...How is your car still working?"

"No one can get rid of my girl Cherry." Carl proudly patted the roof of his car, which had been repaired the previous morning. Blue walked to the spot Carl had pointed, just staring, before looking at the forest.

"She probably thought your car was one of Eggman's bots…" he thought out loud, ears going down. "She wouldn't run from it unless she was hurt…" a worried expression decorated his features. Tom was quick to pat his head.

"We'll find her, kid." He told him, sighing. "Let's split up?"

"I'm taking Tails and Knuckles." Maddie already decided, taking her oldest son's hand. Tom shrugged.

"Sonic?"

"Donut Lord and Blue Justice are back again!" Sonic zipped up his shoulder at once. Tom chuckled. Carl was reaching out for Blue, who just looked away.

"I work alone."

"Not on earth, kid." The man shrugged. "Unfamiliar plants and whatnot."

"But I always-"

"Whether you like it or not, you're a kid here." Carl took his hand. Blue looked shocked. His grip on the quill tightened. 

"Can't we just at least call for her, Tom?" Sonic grumbled, not liking the slow pace they were at right now.

"No, Sonic, we can not," Tom answered for the hundred time, tired of the same question every ten seconds.

"But dad!"

"We are not taking the chance of scaring her off!" Tom whispered, keeping in mind how Blue explained she might be… skittish. So they kept quiet. 

The duo continued walking in silence, until Tom heard it: the rustling of leaves. He stopped.

Sonic groaned loudly, sending his father a look. "Can we go even slower?!"

Tom covered his mouth, earning a muffled protest from his son. "Mmmff!!! Mfff!!" He said unhappily.

Tom shushed him, sinking down to his knees and slowly inching forward, pulling Sonic with him.

They continued at this slow pace… before Tom heard talking.

"Are you sure you've lost them? Because you said that yesterday too and I am not taking any chances again!"

A female voice. 

Sonic had taken the hint, now dead silent… and the duo pulled away some bushes.

Between the trees, in the clearing…

Stood a pink, humanoid hedgehog, the size of a child, wearing a red dress, red headband, red shoes, and white gloves with golden rings. Her back was turned to the duo, so they couldn't see her face. But what they saw was enough.

Tom quickly grabbed his phone to send his wife and Carl a text… but Sonic couldn't help but stare.

"No, no- please, just return already?" She turned around, allowing Sonic to see her face.

"I know you want to look more, but I'm worried. This place is like nothing I've ever seen!"

She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. They were just as green as the chaos emerald. But he noticed other stuff…

One of her socks was missing, her quills were unkept, and she had multiple cuts and bruises all over her body. She held her hand to her mouth, talking into… a watch. The same watch Blue had had. Suddenly, the girl went silent. Before… spindashing away.

Oh no.

"Tom!" He said as silently as he could, panicked. Tom nodded, about to go after her- when a huge shadow crept over him.

"NYAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"WOAH!" 

Something jumped on top of Tom, making them both fall into the bushes and roll into the clearing. Tom ended up on his back, the pink hedgehog on top of him. He looked right into her eyes… they looked wild.

"Who are you?" She growled, eyes suddenly going wide with anger as she grabbed- a hammer? Where did she get a hammer from?! It was HUGE! And raised said hammer above her head, ready to strike. "And how did you find me?!"

Tom froze on the spot, very well aware she could strike if she wanted to. He breathed deeply. "My name is Tom Wachowski." He told her, not daring to look away. "And I believe I have someone you're looking for… Amy Rose?"

Amy froze too, eyes going wide with shock before she held her hammer further. "How did you-?!"

"Don't hurt him!"

She froze even further. Slowly, she turned her head.

Sonic looked panicked, hands up for the universal sign of peace. "Please. Don't hurt him."

"...Sonic?" She asked in disbelief, lowering her weapon to just stare. No... it couldn't...

She saw his arms. And paled.

Before she growled, and with a war cry, was jumping on him in an instant. Sonic was quick to dash away. "Woah!"

"You." The girl said threateningly, quills covering her eyes- which held hellfire behind them. "You dare to give false hope that my Sonic has returned, you STUPID TOASTER?!"

She swung at Sonic again, and the hedgehog quickly ran away once more. His eyes were wide. What was she talking about?

"Miss A-Amy, hold up!!"

"JUST SHUT IT, METAL!" The girl swang at him again, this time hitting the ground- causing the ground to shake, creating a dent in the earth from where her hammer had hit. Sonic paled.

"I'm done with Eggman's BULLSHIT!" She continued, swinging her hammer with fury at him again. "Wasn't one enough?! Do you have to mock Sonic too?!?!"

This time, Sonic tripped. The girl was above him in an instant, prepared to strike-

"AMY!"

"..."

"..."

For a few, fearful seconds, Sonic didn't dare open his eyes. But once nothing happened, he finally looked up. 

Amy's eyes were wide, tears dotting them, and not looking at anything, her arms trembling dangerously. Blue, Carl, Maddie Knuckles, and Tails stood behind them, Blue in front of all of them, looking concerned.

"..."

"...Stop. Please..." Amy looked down, her quills casting a shadow over her eyes as she dropped her hammer in defeat. A loud THUMP was heard, the hammer heavy enough to make Sonic's body jump up a bit. He was frozen.

"You... you've made your point, Eggman." She slid to her knees. "I know he's... and you... you got what you wanted. My Sonic is gone. I know. You don't have to rub it in. So just... leave me alone. Please." 

"..." Blue silently walked over to her until he sat between the two hedgehogs, and kneeled, taking one of Amy's hands... and placing it on his chest.

Immediately, the hedgehog regonized the fast heartbeat.

Her head snapped up at once, and they locked eyes.

Before their watches beeped. Looking down, a third light lit up on Amy's watch, a second on Blue's.

Blue Thunder: Connected!

Red Rose: Connected!

"..."

Her eyes filled with tears as she flung herself into his arms, starting to cry. "It's you! It's really you! Oh, Sonic!"

Blue hugged her back just as fiercely, chuckling softly. "Hey, hey- Ames, you know that big old egghead can't take me down- you know me!"

For a second, she was crying, hugging him as tightly as she dared.

Before her relief turned into anger.

"You Idiot!"

"Ow!" Blue's quills were pulled and Amy pushed him off, starting to hit him blindly. Her angry expression was back, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I told you to be careful! Tails told you to be careful! Even Knuckles told you to be careful! But did you listen?! NO! Of course, you didn't! Because you're freaking Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I've fought Eggman a million times! I know what I'm doing!"

"Do you?!" She hysterically asked, wishing she had her hammer. "Do you know how worried we were?! Tails started crying while flying the Tornado! Knuckles froze on the spot and wouldn't move! Eggman kept talking about how he finally killed you!"

He froze. "...That thing's purpose was not to send me away...?"

"No!" She groaned, clearly frustrated. "You're a self-sacrificial moron, we get it! But guess what?! As much as you are an idiot, we need you! How do you plan on playing hero if you're not alive?! Tails needed his big brother, Knuckles needed his friend! All those people need you! I need you!!!"

"..."

She flew over to him at once, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed a fierce kiss against his lips. Blue was stiff, before he closed his eyes, melting against her and wrapping his arms around her waist. After a couple of seconds, she pulled away to look at him sternly. His own eyes were soft.

"Just because I missed you doesn't mean I'm not mad at you."

"Missed you too, Ames." 

"You're lucky I love you."

"Hm..." 

She huffed, before pressing their mouths together again. He just closed his eyes. 

"...Ahem." they both jumped, quickly turning around to look at Sonic- who looked horrified at his counterpart and his "friend"

"Gross!" He cried out, gagging. Tom walked over, patting his head.

"Nice to see that your counterpart is good with the ladies-"

"Stooooop!!"

"...That's... not Metal...?" She sounded confused. Blue finally pulled away, stepping aside to offer Amy a full view of his counterpart. She finally realized. "...Metal... can't talk..."

"Amy, this is other-me. Remember Tails' multiverse theory?"

Her eyes widened. "...The one with the alternate versions of us?"

Blue nodded. Slowly, Amy turned around. She took one look at the rest of the family she had missed.

"This is a world where I left Mobius when I was young," Blue explained. "Faught Eggman twice- has the Master Emerald in a freezer."

"...And Knuckles lets him touch it?"

"I even have parents."

"Woah..." she looked amazed, before frowning. "Wait, where is me?"

Blue winced. "You don't exist, apparently-...Wait, how did you-?!"

"Amy?" came a voice from her watch, making the blue hedgehog freeze. "You've been silent for ages! Are those goons back?!"

"...Is that...?" 

Amy nodded, smiling tearfully, before holding out her watch to his mouth. Blue lit up, pulled Amy close with one arm, and tipped his head down. 

"Kinda late, Knux! The goons got on their spaceship and flew away!"

"Oh, good, I thou- SONIC?!"

Blue burst out laughing, Amy chuckling weakly with him. "Nice to hear ya, Knucklehead!"

"You- but how did you-?! Stay there, I'm coming over!"

The watch closed. Blue wiped at his eyes, pretending he wasn't crying.

Knuckles' counterpart was here?

The echidna slowly walked over, still holding onto the fox, whose entire face was sparkling at the thought of meeting his other brother's counterpart. "This... alternate version of me also got transported to our earth?"

Amy jumped out of her skin, clutching her chest as she looked at the warrior with wide eyes. "C-chaos! You're... different!"

"That seems good." 

Amy chuckled nervously, before her eyes fell on Tails- and stiffened. The fox smiled brightly at her.

"Hi! I'm Tails! But you probably knew that!"

"..." she just blinked. Blue's face brightened up.

"Is Tails here too?!"

"... U-Uhm." She sighed shakily, suddenly having a heartbroken expression as she looked at her boyfriend. "I... I... No, Sonic. He's not. He was... still in the plane when I and Knuckles got hit." 

"...Oh." His entire mood sank. Tom patted his head. Amy was about to ask who he was when a screech was heard, someone fell from behind, and jumped in front of them.

*THUMP!*

They quickly turned to meet...

...Woah.

The echidna had landed with head down, feet on the ground, and one hand raised in the air before he slowly looked up.

Purple eyes met green. 

This echidna was a lighter shade of red than this world's Knuckles, and smaller. And even though he was covered in scrapes and bruises, just like Amy...

His right arm was wrapped with Amy's missing sock and a stick to act as a splint. He stood straight, slowly making his way to his hedgehog.

"...Sonic."

The hedgehog smiled- before Knuckles hit him on the head, making him drop to the ground. He rubbed his head painfully. 

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For scaring the crap out of Tails."

They talked... differently. The rest stared.

"...Language," Blue grumbled, got up, and popped his back. Before Other Knuckles grinned and held out his good hand. Blue took the hint and bumped their fists.

As they did, the third light on both Blue's and Knuckles' watch lit up.

Blue Thunder: Connected!

Knux: Connected!

"Nice to see ya again, Knucklehead. You just can't help but follow me, hm?"

"It appears I have no choice. You're like a magnet for trouble..."

"It's what I do!"

Knuckles snorted and shook his head... before his eyes fell on their counterparts. 

At once, both hedgehogs were pulled behind him, fist raised and pointing at Sonic. "METAL!-"

"Wait- No no no no not Metal, not Metal!" Blue cried out, quickly standing between them. Sonic huffed.

"Who is this Metal you keep talking about?!"

"Oh, honey..." Maddie hissed once she was presented with Other Knuckles' arm- who had been lovingly called Red in an instant by Tom. The echidna had looked offended at first, but once he met his counterpart, understood.

...Well, after Knuckles had offered to let him be called Red instead. The newcomer had taken the name in an instant. He seemed less patient than Knuckles...

Back home, after introductions, the first thing she had done was have Red sit on the couch with her first-aid kit, now trying to peel off the attempt at the splint. "How did you even manage to do this?"

"A robot was about to fall on Amy!" Red huffed, holding out his good arm. "I can handle the weight! She can't!"

"Of all the times he could have broken his arm, he chose now..." the girl groaned, sitting on the ground, waiting for her turn. Carl had left for his home, seeing his job was done, while Tom was cooking in the kitchen, guessing the newest two must be hungry. That left Maddie alone with the kids. 

"That is... infected." Maddie finally managed to first pull the sock away, then the stick, and winced: The wound was big, an angry red and throbbing, extremely hot once she touched it. Inflamed. Definitely infected. But Red didn't even flinch when she put an alcohol wipe on the wound. "But it was a great improvise. Who wrapped it?"

"I did," Amy answered, sending Red a look. "The moron had wanted to just leave it open!"

"That is not a wise decision, other me." Knuckles said. "That could have ended up worse than it already is. You are lucky the hedgehog was there to help."

"No need for the reminder!" Red spat back, making Knuckles flinch. His counterpart was... something. 

"...Is he always like this?" Sonic asked softly. Amy nodded.

"...Why does your Knuckles talk so weird?"

"I'll get into the backstories later."

"But tell me now!" Tails burst out of nowhere, making Amy flinch. His smile was wider than it had ever been, eyes sparkling. "Please tell me about your world- and spare no details! Is Blue as awesome as he is in those reports?! Or is it even better?! And I read that Red and Blue used to be enemies- is that true?! Because ours were as well-"

"Breathe, bud." Sonic put a hand on Tails' head, effectively shutting him up. Knuckles was behind him, experimentally swinging Amy's hammer around. 

"Fox. Would this be a gadget you would be interested in?"

His tails started wagging, and Tails ran over.

"I'm back!" Tom walked back inside with a platter of all different kinds of sandwiches and placed them on the table. "Didn't know what you liked so I made a bunch of everything."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir." Amy smiled politely, grabbing a random sandwich. 

"Can I hold it!?" Tails asked with starry eyes, making Knuckles chuckle, and hold out the hammer.

"Thank you- OOF!"

*Crash*

All heads quickly turned in their direction. Knuckles looked shocked, staring down at the little fox- who had immediately fallen the moment the hammer was handed to him, creating a dent in the floor. Amy winced.

"My hammer is heavier than it looks..."

"...I can see that!" Tails pulled his arms from under it. "Ow... or rather, feel that..."

"Almost done, hun."

"Don't call me that," Red grumbled, making Maddie nod. 

"Right. No nicknames. Got it."

"I know your counterpart is softer than you are but I don't remember you being that mad, Knucky-"

"I have a reason to!" He exploded, pulling his arm. Maddie held onto him tighter.

"Don't move, I need to finish wrapping it!"

"That Egghead is on Mobius and no one is there to stop him!" Red cried out, grumbling when Maddie grabbed his arm again. 

"Rouge is still there, Knuckles." Amy tried, holding out a sandwich with only greens to the echidna. "I'm sure she must have gotten hold of Silver and Shadow by now, maybe Blaze?"

"You saw the state his lair was in! We barely managed to escape- and even though we messed up, we got hit just like the moron!"

"Hey!" Blue looked offended. Red huffed.

"And that was with not even all the emeralds! How am I supposed to do my job if I can't even get them?! We just need to pray Robotnik didn't find-" he stopped. His anger died down, panting heavily from his outburst.

He sent one look at Tails, before he looked away sorrowfully. Amy pushed the sandwich into his hand again. This time, he grabbed it but didn't take a bite.

"...Hey." Sonic nudged Amy's arm. "Are those other people strong?"

"The strongest! Though not as much as me." Blue said with pride, puffing out his chest. "I bet Silver and Faker have long arrived and are knocking that egghead down a notch! Besides, they have Tails!"

Amy flinched, grabbing the ends of her dress tightly. Knuckles looked away.

"...Yeah," she said with a low voice, looking down. "They... they have Tails." 

Why she said that with that voice, no one knew. 

Knuckles and Sonic sent each other a look. That... that couldn't be good.

Tom coughed. Blue didn't seem to notice the awkward silence, happily talking about his brother.

"You know what?! I bet my little buddy already took the emeralds back with help from the others and is already figuring out a way back home!"

"..." Red took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Aaaand... done." Maddie hummed, admiring her work. Red's entire arm was wrapped up with bandages and a splint tightly attached. The echidna moved his arm, before sighing.

"Thank you, Maddie." 

Maddie hummed, patting the spot next to her. "Amy, dear? I want to check you over." 

The pink hedgehog did as she was asked, taking her sandwich with her and sitting beside her friend, inspecting his arm. Red just sighed in response.

They knew something.

"Hey!" Tails came running back inside, holding an armful of mint candy, walking happily towards their guests. "Whenever I'm down, I feel candy makes me happy..."

"..." Red chuckled while Amy gushed, cooing at the little fox- pulling away from Maddie to pull the fox into her arms at once. Tails yelped.

"I forgot how adorable you used to be!" She gushed, holding him just a bit too tight. The cub frowned.

"Is other me different?"

"Don't even get me started!" The hedgehog whined, sending an accusing look at her boyfriend. "Someone corrupted him."

"Not my fault I'm awesome."

Red didn't look impressed. Amy let go, being handed a candy by the fox, who also gave one to Red, and quickly made his way to Blue.

"Want one?"

"Is that even a question?" The hedgehog laughed, grabbing one. That made Amy look up in confusion.

"...Since when do you like mints, Sonic?"

Blue froze. The rest looked up at the girl in shock. 

"...He doesn't like mints?" Tom blinked. Amy shook her head. 

"He used to say they remind him too much of toothpaste."

All eyes turned to Blue at once, who swallowed. 

"...ahem." he coughed, face turning red. "I.. ahem... I... I noticed Tails liked... having things in common..." he mumbled the last part.

"...You only ate mints to make me happy?" Tails looked shocked, quickly looking between the two speedsters. 

Now that made Red burst out laughing.

"You've been stuffing yourself with mints to make Tails happy?" He chuckled. "Don't be going soft on me, Blue Blunder."

"At least I eat stuff other than grapes, Knucklehead."

"Are you fighting already?" Amy whined, holding her arm out to the human again. "Chaos... those two are hopeless." Maddie chuckled, gently bending the smaller arm.

"..." Sonic looked down when he felt two, fluffy arms wrap around him. Looking down, Tails was looking at him with so much love.

"You're the best, big brother."

"..." Sonic chuckled, wrapping his arms around the fox cub in return.

"No, not yet..." he mumbled, watching Blue and Red starting their argument. 

"But I will be." 

Knuckles the Echidna (2) has joined the party!

Amy Rose has joined the party!

"AMY!" the echidna had to hold back the pink hedgehog, who was screaming and crying her heart out, even now still trying to strike the doctor who had taken the love of her life away. 

"HE KILLED HIM, KNUCKLES!!!" She screamed, trying to fight against the impressive hold of the other, but not being strong enough to do so. "HE KILLED HIM! HE KILLED SONIC!! LET ME AT HIM!!!"

"..." The echidna couldn't say anything to comfort her, instead holding as tightly as he could, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck.

The doctor, for some reason, still hadn't left, instead just... floating there. 

In confusion, the echidna started looking around. The doctor's bots... they... they were just... frozen?

No, some were frozen. Some were making all different kinds of movements. As if having a seizure. 

Before he saw the problem. He froze.

The robot's machine. The ball of white light. It hadn't faded away.

It hadn't faded away. 

Eyes wide, the echidna looked up-

"AMY!!" The girl yelped when the echidna suddenly jumped away, just in time to save them both from being crushed. They looked up with wide eyes. 

A piece of metal had fallen, one of the doctor's fly-bots having crashed into it- causing it to fall. 

"W-whats happening?" The hedgehog seemed to have gained her sense of self back, sitting up to look at the scene. Only now did she hear the screaming of alarms, the loud noise from the doctors... whatever it was. 

The doctor was yelling too. What he was yelling, they couldn't understand. But he sounded distressed.

"Knuckles?" She asked, suddenly worried. She yelped when another fly-bot fell, right beside her. Looking at its screen, she saw the multiple error messages on its razor.

Not knowing what to do, the echidna looked at his watch. Surely, the fox would have updated them if something was wro- ah. His watch had turned off.

Looking at his friend, he saw she had the same problem- and turned on his watch again. "Tails, what is the-"

"THE PLANE IS GOING DOOOWN!!!"

Chapter Text

It had been... a change, alright.

Red and Amy both took camp with Blue, even though Maddie had offered to prepare a bed in the living room. The duo had declined, saying they rather keep an eye on "the idiot". Which Maddie understood. 

What she didn't understand is how she woke up to the smell of something cooking while her husband was still sound-asleep beside her. 

Her first instinct was to panic. Did Tails try to understand the kitchen again?! Or was Knuckles trying to make "the perfect pancake"?!-

It was Amy. 

Maddie stood by the door, surprised.

The pink hedgehog had dragged one of the chairs from the table to the stove, humming to herself and cracking a couple of eggs, carefully setting the shells aside. She looked up once she heard Maddie enter.

"Morning!" She chirped before her smile turned awkward. "I apologize, but the eggs don't have any flavor in them- I don't know what these spices are."

"...You didn't have to prepare breakfast, hun." Maddie slowly stepped inside, reaching out for the salt and handing it to Amy. She took the hint, and carefully sprinkled some into the pan.

"Are you kidding? You had to deal with Sonic's idiocy and enormous appetite." Amy huffed, putting the salt aside. "It's the least I could do."

"He wasn't any trouble at all, don't worry." Maddie frowned. "In fact- he barely ate at all."

"I'm sorry?" Amy looked up in surprise. Maddie nodded.

"He did finish everything we gave him- so he wasn't starving, don't worry."

"...Did he eat the same amount he ate last night?"

"Yes?"

"...No wonder he seemed so sluggish!" Amy cried out, suddenly looking angry. She turned off the fire, jumped off the stool, and made her way over upstairs, stomping angrily. Maddie ran after her.

"That was him being sluggish?-never mind that, is there something wrong with the amount?"

"He has a super fast metabolism!" Amy cried out, making Maddie freeze. "What is for us the normal amount is not near enough for him- Sonic Olgilvie Maurice the Hedgehog!" She kicked the door open, waking both the hedgehog and echidna within an instant.

"Olgilvie Maurice?" Maddie sounded confused, but Amy ignored her, fuming.

"Amy!" Blue sounded offended, though still sleepy. "Did you have to let her know about that name?"

"Why, oh why, pray tell, would you starve yourself?!" She asked. Her yelling got the other's attention, the Wachowski brothers now peaking from behind Maddie.

"Sonic is not your name?" Knuckles asked with shock. Sonic frowned.

"It is! Maybe other me just has more names like Blue Thunder or something."

"I wasn't!" Blue defended, but Amy was having none of that.

"You know you eat more than the average Mobian, we talked about this!" She huffed. "Your burn through food really fast- just like everything else!"

"Wait wait wait-" Maddie cut them all off, standing between Amy and the bed. "So, to see it I understand... what is the normal amount of food for us is too little for him?"

"Yes!"

"...Sonic Wachowski!"

Said hedgehog hid behind Knuckles at once.

Turns out, after some testing from both Tails and Maddie, that the two hedgehogs have one, major difference.

Blue had superfast metabolism.

Sonic did not.

...Which started another problem...

"Amy, please stop-"

His protests were cut short when the pink hedgehog stuffed a sausage into his mouth. Blue choked, sending her an accusing look. "I'm fine!"

"Uh-huh." Amy crossed her arms, eyes on fire. "So why not tell them you need more Sonic? A piece of bread? A piece of bread?!"

"..." Tom turned around, taking a sip of his coffee. Amy was busy with her kids, trying to not stare at... that. Red had taken a single sandwich before breakfast and left. 

"Amy, come on-"

"No." 

"I didn't mean any harm!"

"Then why not eat if you know you need more?! I swear if you're trying to punish yourself again-"

Blue grabbed her hands gently, expression serious. "Amy." 

"...?" Sonic's expression shifted into an uncomfortable one. 

"..." Amy glared at him. Blue sighed. 

"First of all-, I was sick. That wasn't punishment. Second- I promised I wouldn't do that, didn't I? Would kinda be a hypocrite if I told Tails to eat normally and then not do it myself." 

Amy flinched at the mention of the fox. "R-right..."

"I don't eat regularly?" Tails looked up. Blue huffed, annoyed.

"If I don't drag you out of your lab- then no."

"...I have a lab?" His eyes turned to stars, sparkling, and his tail wagging. Maddie looked worried at that thought alone. 

"But then why did you...?" Amy asked. Blue hesitated- before he leaned over, and whispered something into her ear. Her eyes widened. She looked a couple of times at Maddie and Tom, then back at Blue.

"...I understand." She nodded. "But just this once." 

Blue seemed satisfied with that answer, and let go. Turning back to finish his now bigger plate, forced upon him by Maddie.

"Come on, kids!" Tom called, already waiting at the door with his jacket on. "You're gonna be late!" 

"Coming!" Sonic was at the door and dressed at once, back bag in hand and ready to go. Tails and Knuckles were behind, Knuckles wearing a T-shirt to cover the bandages, and Tails' cast replaced with lots of wrappings and cotton. Although Maddie hadn't wanted to send them to school, the duo insisted. They were behind enough.

"Gotta catch up with Sonic!" Tails had said with sparkling eyes, while Knuckles nodded with agreement. Sonic's entire face had gone red, embarrassed, and couldn't help send a glance at his counterpart. He was smirking.

"Everyone ready?"

"Yep!"

"I can't believe out of all three, Sonic is the one who went to school first." Amy chuckled, following Maddie to say goodbye to them. She gushed at the sight.

"How can anyone look so adorable?!"

Sonic's face went red. Knuckles cocked his head to the side with confusion.

"Adorable... that is usually a term used on something cute, right Mister Donut?"

Tom nodded. 

"But usually people call Tails that?"

"Let me be the first!" Amy said with glee. "You're adorable!"

"...Huh." He huffed, puffing out his chest. "In that case- I shall carry the title with honor!"

"Carry it to the car." Tom patted his head, opening the door. "Bye, girls."

"Bye Tom. Bye, Sonic! Have a nice day!"

"Bye, mom!!" Sonic waved before the door was closed. Once it was, Amy turned to Maddie.

"Is there anything else I can help with?"

"No need, dear- everything is taken care of."

"...In that case.." Amy grimaced, gently tugging at one of her quills. "Can I please shower?"

"Oh!" Maddie chuckled, and lead the way. "Of course, hun. Be alarmed, the shower is human-sized- but there is always the tub."

"No thanks, I prefer showers." Amy smiled with relief, following behind. "Could you just turn the water on and show me the soap?"

"Of course. You put your dress aside, I'll have it washed."

"...It's the only clothing I have."

"Oh! Hm..." Maddie thought and looked Amy up and down. "...Would you be alright wearing a T-shirt?"

"Uhm..." Amy grabbed the ends of her dress, checking if she really needed other clothing... and realized her dress, although not covered in the dirt anymore, was still not clean. "...Yeah. I can."

"I'll bring over one of my T-shirts." The human opened the door to the bathroom and put everything needed within the hedgehog's reach. "Here's the towel- this shampoo is for the body, this one is for hair- or quills. The boys use the same ones- Sonic specifically said he liked this one. Makes his quills soft." Amy chuckled at that.

Maddie then reached out and grabbed the shower head, and put it on the floor. "You turn the water on with this one." She said, turning one of the switchings in the shower. "Temperature with this one."

"Understood." Amy bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, Maddie."

The human smiled kindly and walked out of the room. "I will be back with a T-shirt." 

"Got it!"

As Maddie made her way to her room, she passed the guest room.

"-ignore me forever, Knux." She heard Blue speak, sounding pained. "It wasn't my intention to get hit, ya know." 

"You threw yourself into danger despite all of us telling you "No, don't do it Sonic, it's dangerous Sonic, let's stick together Sonic" but did you listen!?" Red sounded hysterical. "I may not be the smart guy but even I know to think before jumping into battle!"

"The guy has the chaos emeralds!" Blue tried to defend himself. "I had to get them back! Doesn't it bother you?!"

"Of course it does!" Red sounded offended. "But to get the emeralds back you need to think before you act!"

Maddie walked out before she could hear more.

"You seem energetic today." Tom noticed Knuckles talking more, which made the oldest nod.

"I... slept better than I have in a while."

"Ah." Tom pulled over. "Well then. Good day to you boys. Be good!"

"Yes, dad!" Sonic smiled, already rushing out.

"No super speed, Sonic!"

"Yes, dad!" His son held his thumbs up.

"Bye Mist- dad." Tails corrected himself, smiling hesitantly and hopping out. Knuckles was last, struggling with his seatbelt because of his larger hands.

"Here." Tom leaned over his chair and pressed the button. Knuckles smiled.

"Thank you, father." Tom blinked in surprise. Knuckles didn't even seem to realize what he had called him, grabbing his bag and hopping out, closing the door behind him.

"..." Tom blankly looked ahead and drove off. By the time he had reached work, he was still as blank as before.

"Baseball?" Red asked with a snort, not believing what Maddie was saying. "He... spends his days... playing baseball?"

"Sounds fun!" Blue chirped, huffing once Red glared at him. Clearly, he was mad still. 

Maddie nodded. "I am about to go pick them up, then I will take Sonic to practice- would any of you be willing to join?" 

"I've seen enough of the outside world for a while..." Amy whined, gently rubbing her arms. She was wearing one of Maddie's big shirts. Red huffed and didn't answer.

"...Alright." Maddie sighed and turned to Blue. "I expect the house to be standing when I return- is that clear?"

Blue nodded and smiled gently. "Don't worry. I'll keep the place alive."

"You trust Sonic out of all people?"

"Don't bully him, Knuckles!"

Blue looked offended. Maddie chuckled and patted his head.

"I'm sure you will." She patted his head and opened the door. "Bye, guys! Stay safe!"

"We will!" Blue called back cheerfully. Once the door was closed, he walked back to the living room, where Amy was on the couch, a book in hand. She looked up when the hedgehog climbed on.

"Oh, Sonic, what are you- oh!" She yelped when he just collapsed on top of her, smushing his head in his stomach.

"Sleep." Was all he said, closing his eyes. Amy frowned.

"...Are you alright?"

"Hm." That was all he offered. "Just tired is all."

"No shit." Red huffed and sat beside the other two. "I've never seen you eat that little and use so much energy- what is up with that?"

"Don't curse near the kids..." Blue mumbled.

Amy sighed. "He said they've done more than enough. Did you see the prices of everything here? The bread, Knuckles, the bread. It's crazy expensive!"

Red frowned. "...Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Amy leaned back and closed her eyes. "We gotta find some rings around here..." 

"...Yeah." 

"Rings aren't the currency here..." Blue mumbled. "Gotta find "Coins"."

"Like our normal money?"

"Like our normal money."

"-not allowed to use my speed! Can you believe it?" Sonic cried out, clearly offended as the four walked inside, arms crossed. "Speed is my bus- they can't just cut it out!"

"You have an unfair advantage over the rest, Sonic." Tails hummed, putting his back bag aside. The hedgehog just huffed.

"It's not like I use it during matches- just practice!"

"It's not fair."

"Nothing is fair on the field of battle." Knuckles picked the fox up and placed him on his shoulder. "That Sonic's mentor isn't using this clear advantage is very confusing to me."

"Exactly!"

From the look on Tails' face, Maddie could tell he was done. She held back her giggles and called. "We're home!- oh." She blinked at the sight.

The three were curled up on the couch, Blue laying on Amy's stomach, the pink hedgehog resting a single hand on one of his quills. Red was sitting beside them, arms crossed and a... mourning? look on his face. He looked up once he heard Maddie approaching. And froze, immediately tapping Blue's leg.

"Hm... Knux?" Blue blinked open an eye. And paled, immediately sitting up. "M-Maddie!" He smiled. Amy scooted away from him.

"...You guys okay?" She carefully asked. Blue chuckled nervously.

"Why of course, why wouldn't-"

"Sonic." Red cut him off, relaxing. "This isn't Mobius."

"...Oh yeah." His shoulders sagged, and Amy sighed with relief before Blue climbed back on top of her and laid down again. Maddie frowned.

"What is...?"

"Sonic is on the news all the time," Amy explained. "So imagine if the news found out about... this." She waved her hands around.

The human's frown only deepened. "What could happen, then?"

"When the media found out about Tails." Knuckles rumbled, that sorrow-filled look back. "The kid was shown on the media. Robotnik captured him that same day."

Maddie gasped, eyes going to her kids. The three were looking horrified.

"He had been four. Eggman captured him many more times after that-"

"Until I blew up half his lab." Blue chimed in. Amy sighed.

"If he was willing to go that far with a child- imagine how far he would go with an adult?"

But you're not an adult was left unsaid. 

"..." Maddie sucked in a breath, then left for the kitchen. Sonic and Knuckles walked inside. Tails left to go to his room, to continue working on the portal.

"How was baseball? Sonic, get off, you're poking me." Amy glared, and gently pushed him off. Blue grumbled, and rolled, landing on the floor. Sonic gave him one look before he huffed.

"The worst. They wouldn't let me use superspeed during practice this time!"

Red snorted. Sonic glared at him. "Is this funny to you?"

"Blue Blunder without his superspeed." He snickered and covered his mouth. Amy rolled her eyes, gently turning to the other three.

"Didn't Tails and Knuckles play with you?"

"Nah." At that, Sonic snorted. "Knuckles hits the balls too hard and they said Tails was too young."

"Didn't stop me from joining your class." The fox said, smug. The hedgehog rolled his eyes.

Blue didn't move from his position on the floor, but tilted his head up, eyes sparkling. "You should do baseball!"

"Oh-" Tails rubbed a hand behind his head. "Nah. Sports aren't my thing."

"Who said anything about just sport?" Blue laughed and sat up. "If you're anything like my Tails, you're fine- he never misses!"

He didn't see the way Amy and Red flinched. But Knuckles did.

"...He doesn't?" He carefully asked. Blue nodded.

"Whenever I need to use a ring, he throws them at me from the plane- that kid has never missed his targets."

Red's expression turned sour. Amy looked away. "Y... yeah." Her voice came out much too soft. "He... he never misses his targets." 

Sonic looked excited and turned to Tails. "Please join baseball? We could use another pitcher!"

"Nah..." Tails giggled. "Not really my thing, you can keep it!"

"..." Knuckles took one look at Red. Red send him one back, before looking away.

"Knuckles! Amy!" The fox screamed, pressing any and all buttons within his reach, pulling his steer and pressing his foot down, trying anything and everything to get the plane to stabilize. It didn't. Wouldn't.

Why didn't his friends answer?! Where was his brother when he needed him?!

The kit took one calculating look from his window, mind racing and calculating how fast the plane was falling, how fast he could fly, and how high his chance of survival was if he jumped out.

He had a higher chance of surviving within the plane. He whimpered. 

Okay... okay. Stay calm, Miles, stay calm. What was smart... hm...

Ah! Okay. His rockets. If he could get the rockets to lift the plane instead of the motor, he should be fine! 

He hadn't known the rockets had received damage as well. 

"Okay, Miles... just stay calm... be brave, like Sonic..." the fox mumbled to himself, pressing some buttons and readying the rockets. They positioned themselves. 

"And... now!"

He started them.

He screamed when the plane started spinning.

"OOOOOH KAY BAD IDEA BAD IDEA!" He yelled, trying to reach out to fix it, but stuck to his seat due to force. 

And then the wing of the plane hit a bot that was falling. He paled.

The warnings of the plane got louder and louder, lights flashing brighter and brighter, and god the spinning was only making him dizzy where is Sonic, WHERE IS SONIC?!

His breath hitched tears in his eyes. No... no, no no no no no-

"Tails?" Came from his watch, the echidna seemingly finally having realized it was off. "What  is the-"

"THE PLANE IS GOING DOOOWN!!!"  

Sonic didn't know why he had woken up. He grumbled, shifting his head. It was too early to be up... He knew Maddie would try to wake him up when it was time, so he waited for her to appear, comfortable in his bed.

And waited...

And waited...

And waaaaaaiteeeeed-

He blinked open an eye. What took so long- it was still dark?

He yawned and checked his clock. Four A.M. 

Why was he up? It was too early to be up! 

Grumbling, Sonic plopped back into his bed and closed his eyes tightly. Sleeeeeeep...

...

Wait.

There was... sniffling. Little sniffling, and soft cries. The only other person in the room...

Getting concerned, Sonic peeked out of the blankets. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark, and once they did, he saw it.

The shaking of the blanket lump in the bed across the room. Once he strained his ears, he could hear ragged breathing.

"..." As silently as he could, Sonic got out of his bed and made his way toward the other. He didn't go unnoticed, because the lump stilled.

"...Tails?" Sonic asked quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

"..." Tails peaked out, only the top of his head visible. His ears were drooped down, teary-eyed.

"S-sorry..." he stuttered. "Did I wake you up?"

Sonic shook his head and scooted over. "...Same one?"

"...No." the fox mumbled and rubbed at his head. "It... it's nothing."

"Tails."

"I'm serious! They... they'll pass."

"They?"

Tails winced. "Ahem... did I say they?"

Sonic frowned and leaned in closer. "Have you been having nightmares?"

"...Well... if you can call them that." Tails shrugged. He purred when Sonic pulled him into a hug. 

"If they're making you upset, they're nightmares." Sonic decided before he smirked. "Want me to beat them up?"

The fox giggled, so Sonic counted that as a win. He was becoming good at this big bro stuff.

"You can't actually do that." Tails giggled, his namesakes starting to move behind him again. Sonic shrugged.

"Sure I can! Just tell me what evil creature it is- and I will!"

Tails smiled playfully. "You can't beat up a plane, Sonic."

"Plane?" That made him frown with confusion. The fox nodded, his smile falling.

"I... I don't understand these dreams." He admitted. "They just make me upset." 

"..." Sonic lowered his arms. "What happens in them?"

"..." Tails curled up. "I dunno. They're confusing. I just... I know I'm on a plane. But something bad is happening. And I dunno what it is. And for some reason, I'm always scared, but I don't know why." He thought, trying to remember any details at all. "I know there are other people... but I dunno who those are, either. They're saying stuff... I just can't understand it. All I know is that I'm in danger..."

Sonic's eyes softened. "...Hey. How about we go to Knuckles? Then we can have a sleepover!"

Tails brightened up once he said that. "Yeah! It's been so long!" Sonic held his thumbs up, before getting out. Tails was quick to follow, about to spin his namesakes to fly- immediately being stopped by Sonic, who reminded him of his injured tail. Silently sneaking around it is. Easier said than done.

"Yo, Knuckles." Sonic opened the door once there and peeked inside. "Wake up."

"Big bro?" Tails followed, quietly closing the door behind him. Knowing Knuckles' instincts, he had already woken up the moment Sonic had placed a hand on the doorknob.

But to both their surprise, Knuckles wasn't in bed. In fact, his bed was still made, indicating that he never even went to sleep, to begin with. The echidna was instead sitting in front of the master emerald, crossed leg, keeping watch.

"...Knuckles?" Sonic asked. The oldest looked up. Seemingly not surprised they were there. He simply nodded.

"...What ya doin', pal?" The hedgehog walked over, looking over the emerald to make sure nothing was out of place. 

The other shrugged. "Keeping watch." He said. The fox walked to his other side.

"...Is something wrong with the emerald?" He asked worriedly.

"...I do not know." Knuckles answered uncertainly. "She... has been acting weird. Just now. For a while, actually."

"Dude- and you don't even warn a guy?" Sonic huffed and sat down. He was about to touch the emerald but stopped. "What is wrong with it?"

"...She glows." 

"Wha- glows?"

"Yes." He frowned. "She glows, in the middle of the night for a certain amount of time- but stops after I wake from an unpleasant dream. I was keeping an eye on her to see what happens." Sonic's and Tails' eyes widened. 

"...I had nightmares too..." the fox mumbled softly. Knuckles looked surprised. "It was the whole reason we came here..."

"...Hm." The echidna inspected the emerald again. "Are those dreams... odd?"

"Very!" 

"So are mine... I always dream that someone is in danger... but I do not know why. It always ends-"

"-With a blinding white light?" The youngest asked. Knuckles looked surprised and nodded. 

Sonic didn't like the sound of that... and then remembered something.

"The first day Blue got here!" He cried out. "I had a similar dream! But it was only one time..."

"My dreams stopped yesterday..." Knuckles added, eyes widening. Red and Amy got here yesterday...

"...You don't think...?"

"..." The oldest two turned to Tails. The smartest was already thinking, mind racing. "It... could be..." he said after a minute. "That maybe... well, Blue did say he got here because of the chaos emeralds... perhaps they formed a connection with the master emerald because of it... which connected with us..."

"...Is that possible, Knuckles?" Sonic asked. The warrior seemed to be thinking as well.

"...Possibly. This multiverse stuff is... new, to me." 

"Maybe Red would know?" Tails added. "He seems more familiar with this stuff..." 

"That's... an idea." Sonic hummed. Knuckles looked away, frowning.

"...I just hope we are wrong." He said softly, refusing to look at either of them. The danger, the protectiveness he had felt... "Because if we are correct... their world might be in grave danger..."

Chapter Text

"You want to know what now?" 

Red looked honestly offended, which Sonic didn't understand. It was just a simple question, and Red was the only one with the answers! 

"How does the Master Emerald work?" He repeated, smiling innocently, not understanding the weight of what he asked. He could hear Knuckles grumbling behind him, shaking his head with disappointment.

"You can not just ask that, hedgehog."

"Huh?" Sonic frowned. "Why not?" 

"Why not?" The guardian grumbled. "That's a very personal question! You can not just ask him about the emerald he's supposed to guard! That's sacred information!"

"But it's for his own good!"

"That may be so- but the Master Emerald goes before anything else." 

"But their entire world depends on this!"

"Actually, just their city." Tails chimed in, reading something on Tom's phone. "Blue said he didn't have all the emeralds yet- and it would take a while to learn how to use them." 

Listening to their conversation, Red only got more and more lost. What would a bunch of kids need to know what the Master Emerald did for? 

That was until he heard "glowing" in their conversation. His eyes widened.

"She glows?" He cut them off. The three looked up.

"Has been doing so ever since Blue arrived on Earth." Knuckles informed him. The older mobian blinked in shock.

"...That's not good, mini-me." 

"Of course, it's not," Sonic grumbled to himself. Tails' ears flattened. Red blinked a final time, before crossing his arms.

"Alright. Which one of you has been having dreams?" 

That had them look up in surprise. Before all three of them slowly raised their hands, making Red grumble. 

"Great."

"I just had one!" Sonic defended himself.

"Mine stopped when you and miss Amy arrived."

"I still have them..."

"...Hm." Red put a hand in his quills and thought. "What happens in these dreams?"

"Can't remember!" Sonic smiled.

"The same thing." Tails murmured. "I'm on a plane. And I know something terrible is happening-" he didn't miss the way Red froze on the spot. "-but I can't tell what." 

"The same goes for me." Knuckles announced. "Something bad is happening- happened already, and I'm always too late to stop it."

"...Yeah, no." Red turned around, and walked away, clenching his fists.

"Hey!" Knuckles ran after him, standing in front of the echidna. "We must know what is causing the emerald such distress!"

"No, you don't." Red spat and turned away- visibly flinching when he was met by Tails, who was flying. 

They noticed.

...

"...Oh my god." Tails breathed out, eyes slowly widening with realization. "Those dreams... they're what happened out there... aren't they?"

"What are you talking about, bud?" Sonic walked to stand beside him. Tails lowered himself to the ground.

"No- it all makes sense! Why your dreams stopped after day one- because Blue wasn't there!" The fox cried out, frantically typing something into the phone he held. "And that's why Knuckles' dreams stopped the day we met Red and Amy- because they're here!"

"She's showing us what happened on Blue's home planet..." Knuckles mumbled, eyes widening. Red groaned.

"The emerald does not work that way!-"

"Maybe yours not." The echidna dared to challenge the older, even making eye contact. "But there have been enough differences."

"That's why I'm the only one still having them..." The kit mumbled. "Because I'm not... here... what even happened to other me?" 

Red flinched at the question, eyes wild. That made the others stop.

"...Did... did something happen to Tails-?"

"No!" Red cried out, harshly pushing Knuckles away to stomp to the living room. "Leave me alone! You shouldn't be messing with stuff you don't understand!"

The ones in the living room- Amy and Blue, who had been cuddling, and Maddie, jumped when Red marched in, trying to storm out of the house. Sonic was in front of him in a flash, arms crossed.

"Don't lie to me!" He accused, lightning sparking between his quills. "You're hiding something!"

"Am not!"

"So are!"

"What is going on?" Maddie cut them both off, sitting straighter. Sonic held up his arms and yelled.

"Something happened to their Tails and he's lying about it!" Both Amy and Blue froze, his form going tense. Before slowly turning his head to Red.

"...Knux?"

"Nothing happened." He grumbled, trying to walk away, but unable to do so as the hedgehog kept zipping in front of him. "These kids just had some nightmares and think it had something to do with us!"

"You confirmed it!" Tails chided in, walking inside, Knuckles behind him.

"The master emerald. She has been glowing." His mother's eyes widened with surprise.

"..." her expression unreadable, Amy sat straighter. 

"What's going on in here?" Tom poked his head out of the kitchen. Maddie turned to him with a worried frown. 

"Knuckles..." Blue sounded worried and got off the couch. "You... did something happen with-"

"That the emerald has been glowing doesn't mean it has to do with us!" The echidna growled defensively, turning to Sonic with angry eyes. "I do not know why she has been acting this way, but that is no reason for you to cause-!"

"Knuckles." A gentle hand on his shoulder stopped his rant. He looked behind him. Amy's expression was unreadable, quills covering her eyes. "It's... it's time we tell, big guy." 

"Tell what?" Blue was tapping his foot, getting more worried by the minute. "Amy?"

Red's expression shifted in an instant, going from defensive and angry to soft and worried. "No, Amy, we-"

"He needs to know." She said softly, glancing at Blue without turning around. "It's better we tell him now than him finding out about Mobius by accident."

"Tell me what?" The hedgehog giggled nervously, rubbing his arms. "You guys are scaring me." 

"..." Red sighed. "Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"...You might wanna sit down." 

If he hadn't been worried before, right now he was terrified.

Blue wasn't stupid. By far, he wasn't the smartest, but he wasn't dumb. He had known something had happened for his little buddy to be separated from the other two.

But he hadn't asked. Hadn't dared to, too scared of the answer.

Besides, this was Tails! His little bro! That kit was a genius. Surely he had to be fine!

...Right? 

They had tried to go somewhere more private so that it would be just the three of them- but the hedgehog had shaken his head, insisting they should just spit it out. 

He didn't like being alone.

And neither did his little bro.

So knowing the fox he had raised himself, watching as he grew stronger, was alone, was killing him inside.

Right now, he was seated on the couch, legs crossed, heart pounding in his chest because he didn't like the way his two friends were looking right now. Amy had closed herself off- he could see that, hands folded in front of her dress and looking at her feet, looking so tired, much more tired than anyone her age should be. Red was pacing around, not being able to stand still.

Blue couldn't, either.

But for Tails, he wouldn’t move a muscle if he needed to. 

"Well?" He managed to ask, not meaning to sound so harsh. Amy sucked in a breath. Red turned his back to him.

"...Sonic." Amy finally looked up at him- her eyes were wet. "When... when Robotnik hit you with that later... things went bad..."

Robotnik.

Not Eggman. Robotnik.

Oh, it must have been really bad...

"The... the laser. It caused an explosion." Amy said softly, looking down. "We weren't... we weren't hurt. But it... it..." 

"His machine malfunctioned." Red cut her off, looking out the window. "All his bots, robots, his flying-thing or whatever it's called. Even our watches. Everything made out of electronics completely broke down." 

"...We noticed that." Blue looked in surprise at Tails, who dared to speak. The fox coughed- his biggest brother being quick to put a comforting hand on his back. "Everything here started glitching too... it cleared after a while- well, other than my Miles Electric..."

"Mobius technology..." 

"What does that have to do with anything?" Blue was getting impatient, glaring at the other two. "Did some bots attack you guys?" 

"...Sonic. Everything electronic." The pink hedgehog squeezed her fists. "Including the plane." 

His heart stopped.

He could hear Tails' breath hitch while Knuckles pulled him into a hug. Sonic, who was sitting with Tom, suddenly clung to his arm. Maddie and Tom looked shocked beyond belief, the woman pressing a hand on her mouth.

"...The Tornado?" He asked with disbelief. Amy, to her credit, managed to nod without tearing up. 

"We didn't know." She started getting choked up, wiping at her eyes. "We didn't- he-"

"He lied to us." Red finally turned around, revealing the tears that had been pricking in the corners of his eyes, a mourning look painting his features. "Tails... he said he could get out of the plane... he lied. He couldn't." 

"We didn't know." Amy gasped, covering her face with her hands. "We- we aren't as smart as he is- we didn't know how much the blast would affect the plane- we couldn't get to him- it's all my fault!" She almost screamed, hugging herself. The echidna put a hand on her shoulder.

"Amy..."

"Don't you dare tell me it wasn't! If I hadn't been so busy screaming at Eggman-"

"What. Happened." Sonic almost jumped at the tone, looking in shock at his counterpart. He looked at the two sternly- and his arms shook just the tiniest bit. Seeing Amy couldn't continue, Red took a deep breath.

"THE PLANE IS GOING DOOOWN!!!"  

Their hearts stopped.

The duo looked at the sky in shock, and sure enough- yeah, a plane probably shouldn't be spinning as much as it was doing right now.

"Tails!" Amy cried out, forgetting her anger in an instant and holding the watch close to her mouth. "You have to land!"

"Oh really?!" The fox snapped. "I had no idea!"

"Stop with the sarcasm!"

"What does it look like I'm trying to do?!" Tails hysterically asked. Knuckles could hear the many warnings from the plane, blaring in his ears. "I'm pressing all the buttons here! The plane isn't responding to me!"

"That blast." Knuckles breathed out, making Amy freeze. Hesitantly, they looked at the beebot that had crashed earlier.

Error error error-

"That blast messed up everything electronic!" The girl cried out, watching Eggman struggle to try and stabilize his egg pod. "Tails, all robots down here completely broke down too!"

"That isn't helping me!" The kit cried, sounding more frustrated by the minute. "Just shh for a second! I'm trying to calculate the best way to get out of here!"

The echidna was about to send some snarky response, but then the building shook. He managed to stay on his feet, but Amy fell. The echidna wanted to help her up, but couldn't. A robot spinning out of control got between them.

The building shook again. The warnings of the plane got worse. Tails got dreadfully silent.

"Tails?" Amy asked worriedly, not bothering to get up. "Honey, answer me please?"

"...Amy." His voice sounded shaky, yet disconnected. "You... you guys need to find shelter." 

"What- why?"

"The plane is going to crash."

"WHAT?!"

Knuckles had to cover his ears at Amy's outburst, but the fox was quick to calm her down.

"I'm gonna jump out!"

"Oh, yeah, that makes it so much better-"

"Amy! Listen to me!" The fox cub said. "I can't get this plane under control, there is no use trying to save it! I can fly. So I'm going to make the plane crash into his weapon to destroy it, and jump out! You guys need to shelter because there is no doubt that things will explode!"

"But... what about Sonic?"

"..."

Knuckles patted her shoulder. "Sonic is tough." He said. "And Tails can always come up with a new plan to get that moron back. Right now, however, Eggman is the only one who can reach him- which is worse." He held the watch to his mouth. "Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

"I'll... I'll be fine." Why did his voice change like that? "I'll even take the emerald with me! Just... find shelter." 

Why would they need shelter but not Tails?

They didn't have time to think about that.

Knuckles grabbed Amy's arm without thinking and started to run.

"Hey- Knuckles! We can't just leave him there!"

"We aren't!" The warrior yelled back, finding some rubble that had collapsed. Good enough. 

He threw the two of them inside, before grabbing all the scrap he could find, building some sort of barrier. "The kid's brother is the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog. They've jumped out of the plane before. The kid will be fine." He pushed up a large piece of metal and hit the ground a couple of times with it to make sure it would stick. "We, however, need to be alright to be able to catch him." 

"..." Still uncertain, Amy grabbed her hammer- and slammed it a couple of times against the debris to make sure it would stay standing.

"Alright, Amy, that's enough." Knuckles said. As a test, he tried punching their newly created wall. Barely left a dent. But that was to be expected, most of this was metal and titanium.

"Alright, Tails." Knuckles spoke into his microphone. "Tell me when you jump out- I will catch you and take you here." 

"That fast?" Amy sounded surprised, but the echidna was sure.

"Why do you think I picked this spot? It will be the easiest for me to catch him."

"Oh- that's smart. Alright, hun, you ready?"

"..."

"Tails?" 

"...Guys..."

Not that tone.

The older two mobians frowned, their attention back to their wrists. The tone alone made Amy's heart sink. "Hey, Tails, honey, what's wrong?"

"I... I-I'm sorry..." the fox sounded scared, which made her heartbreak. 

"I understand it's too scary to jump." Amy shushed him. This was a child, after all. Eight, for goodness sake. "But don't worry, I and Knuckles will be there to catch you, just like you and Sonic always catch each other. And then we'll get that stupid big bro of yours back, hm?"

"No, it's not- it's not that." She could hear the kid take a shuddering breath- before he spoke. 

"I... I'm not jumping out, Amy." 

"What do you mean you're not?" Knuckles sounded confused. Before his confusion turned to worry. Then to fear. "Tails?" 

"I can't-" a sharp gasp. "I can't get out, Knuckles." 

"What do you mean you can't get out? Is it too high? I told you, I will catch-"

"My tail is stuck."

He froze. "...What?"

"When- when the plane got shaken." Tails explained in a mone-tone voice. "The plane got messed up, some bot crashed into the plane... one of my tails is stuck in some wires and metal- I would need to rip it out, which I both don't have the time for and even if I managed to, I won't be able to fly- and- and-"

"Tails, you're rambling." No... no... Amy's breath started hitching.

Out of all the qualities you could have taken from him, Tails.

"The plane is going too fast." He finished. "I- chance of survival by jumping out of the plane is... one out of a eighty-two. Impossible. The plane is going too fast for me to jump out."

"But you said the plane is gonna crash!" Knuckles cried out, eyes widening. "How are you planning on landing?!"

"..."

"Tails?!"

"I'm not." 

His voice was stone-cold.

You took his stupid, self-sacrificial bullshit.

"...What?"

"I'm gonna make the Tornado crash into the weapon." Said the kit, sounding determined. A new notification that could be heard from the background made her blood turn cold.

Chaos emerald; Ready to activate!

"You aren't," she said with disbelief.

"...I'm sorry, Amy."

I blame you, Sonic.

"No- no." her breathing sped up as she looked at the echidna pleadingly, who had frozen in shock. But then he didn't waste another second, trying to take down the barrier they had built themselves. 

"It's the only way." He seemed to have made up his mind, and Amy could hear him pressing more buttons.

I told you that child admires you.

"You can't do this, Tails!" Knuckles yelled, managing to tear down his wall within a matter of seconds. His expression softened when he heard sniffles from the other side.

"I don't wanna." He whined, as a child his age should. Before he inhaled and exhaled, and back was that adult tone. "But- but if I can't get out, I might as well make sure no one else gets hurt, right?" 

But you just said he will take after me instead.

"I mean- it's what Sonic would have done."

He always copied everything you do.

"Who cares what that idiot would do?!" The pink hedgehog screamed, the two getting out to watch the situation. The plane seemed more in control, now- but the glow surrounding it didn't reassure her one bit. "Just get out of there!-"

"I CAN'T!" The scream made her flinch. "The plane is going too fast and is too high- even if it wasn't, my tail is injured, I can't fly. Eggman's bots are crashing all over the plane, it could hit me if I jumped out, that would be a death sentence. I can't get the plane to land, there is no room, and it's too out of control!" The kit gritted his teeth, sounding determined. "But I can steer it. Steer it enough so that something good comes out of this- which is to make sure Eggman can't use the emeralds to hurt anyone, ever again!"

"You're insane!" The echidna warrior was running after the plane now, and his friend was right behind him. "You- Tails, you can't give up! Where is the honor in that?!"

"I've calculated every possible outcome, this one is the most logical. You two can get out, this way... make sure to call Silver once you do, he'll be able to find Sonic. The bell to reach him is in my lab, in my secret save, in my lab, the combination is 1 - 9 - 9 - 2-"

"You're a child!" 

"...I am the sidekick of the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog." Said the fox. "This is what he would have done in this situation. It's the only way."

I know you tried your best to raise him, Sonic. And you did a wonderful job.

But that kid admires you more than you think.

"Please... please don't blame yourselves for this?" He asked, sounding sad. "And... don't let Sonic blame himself, either. You have my permission to wack him with your hammer if he does. I love you guys. Goodbye."

"Tails!-"

Their connection was cut off. 

"I swear to god this kid!" Knuckles yelled, trying to punch away some of the debris to create room for him to land- punching a bit too hard- 

A sickening crack made him scream, and clutch his arm. 

"Knuckles!" She was at his side within an instant, checking worriedly. His arm... wasn't bending right. "Out of all the moments, you could have broken something, you choose now?!"

"We need to do something!"

"Knuckles-" 

A large flair of wind passed over them, the whirling of the engine deafening her ears. Something dropped from over them.

The two glanced behind them in shock, just to see that the plane was heading for-

The stupid weapon.

With only a couple seconds left.

Amy cried out when the echidna suddenly grabbed her from her waist and ran, running as fast as his legs could take him. "Knuckles, what are you doing-?!" 

He threw her behind the first wall he found, throwing himself on top of the other in a protective embrace-

*BOOM!*

A second boom was heard.

The girl screamed and held onto Knuckles for dear life, who just gritted his teeth. The building shook.

All she could see was white.

The blinding lights calmed down just as quickly as they came, leaving Eggman's base- other than the alarms- silent.

"...Tails?" Amy asked, turning to her watch. All she heard was static.

"..." 

Slowly, the bigger Mobian pulled himself off of her, and walked toward the end of the wall, staring at the scene in shocked silence.

The... the machine... 

Every bot was even glitchier than before, spinning out of control, or some just shutting down on the spot. 

"..." had he been able to think, Knuckles would have realized he was in shock.

"No... NO!" The hedgehog screamed, tears starting to pour down her cheeks as she desperately tapped her watch, looking for the kid. "TAILS! ANSWER ME!"

Yellow Sky: Disconnected.

Normally, he would have comforted her. Held her tight. 

But Knuckles was too busy searching.

Where was the plane?

He blinked.

They had heard the explosion. They had seen the light. They had felt the building shake.

But the Tornado- the entire plane itself- it was gone.

Not destroyed, or broken- no, if it were that, there would be broken pieces of it, somewhere. But there wasn't. It was just... not there. 

And that damned gun was still fine.

Was it powerful enough to get rid of someone without leaving a trace of them behind? 

He bumped his foot into something. Knuckles looked down, heart hammering in his chest.

A pair of goggles. 

He knew those goggles.

And silently picked them up.

Meanwhile, Amy was a mess, screaming and crying her heart out. 

"How could he? How could he?!" She screamed, hitting the floor, again and again. Her breakdown was cut short when the building shook, a loud alarming sound gaining her attention.

WARNING! WARNING! CHAOS CONTROL OUT OF REACH! WARNING! WARNING! 

The emeralds- even from their spot, far, far away- Amy could see them glowing. 

But- but how?! Sonic wasn't here! 

Did that matter?

Eggman seemed to be panicking too, pressing many buttons to try and get his machine stable, but it was no use. Even Orbot and Cubot seemed broken from the blast, spinning in circles as they seemed to glitch. 

The emeralds- looked unstable.

Of course that idiot didn't know how to use them.

"Amy, we need to go! Now!"

"But what about Tails?!" Amy cried, pointing at where the plane had disappeared. "We can't just leave him here!" 

"Amy, the emeralds are unstable." he pressed, sounding both serious and heartbroken. "We can't- we can't stay, we have to go-"

"We already lost Sonic, we can't leave Tails too!" 

"There is no time! He's-"

He stopped.

"...He's gone, Amy." It broke his heart to say. He closed his eyes once the hedgehog sobbed at that statement. "We... we can't do anything for him anymore. Either of them." 

"What we can do is get out and find out what he meant with "don't let Sonic blame himself." He told us to get Silver... We can... we can make sure everyone else is alright." 

"..." she looked up with bloodshot eyes and held out her hand. Knuckles took it and squeezed.

She flung herself at him. The echidna hugged back tightly. 

They would have probably squeezed each other tighter but were forced to separate when the building shook again. "Okay- time to go!" He took Amy's hand once more and started to run. 

That didn't prove to be easy, as the building shook too much and robots were aimlessly attacking, left and right- WHAT WAS THAT.

Knuckles yelped, running coming to a halt when a white beam just barely passed them. He turned, and with cold horror, saw Eggman had officially lost control of his weapon, which was now shooting beams all over the place. 

"Is he serious!?" Amy grumbled, pushing Knuckles to the ground when she was about to get zapped. "...Dang it."

"We need to go, now!"

They ran again. Further, further away from the destruction- 

When another one of Eggman's beebots fell from the sky. Amy froze. "KNUCKLES!"

And pushed him aside, forcing him to the ground.

The bot crashed into her. 

"AMY!" Knuckles cursed under his breath and made his way over, hearing Amy grumbling under her breath. He wanted to push the bot off- but cried out when he did. Looking at his arm, he saw it had swelled, already turning blue. 

Amy managed to look up just in time. Her eyes widened. "KNUCKLES DODGE-"

Too late.

He turned around.

Both got hit by the beam.

A third boom was heard.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"..." Maddie had both hands pressed to her mouth with horror, not believing the story she had just been told. Knuckles was clutching onto Tails as if his life depended on it- said fox looking spooked beyond belief- but not exactly surprised. Both Sonic and Tom looked horrified, before the hedgehog pushed himself out of his father's lap, and made his way over to his little brother, hugging him tight.

And Blue-

Blue's expression was unreadable. 

"We couldn't do anything..." Amy sobbed, having collapsed under the weight of her own body, trying to stop her crying. "We tried- we really, really tried-"

"But Robotnik's machine... it had messed up too much." Red looked at Tails. The fox continued, casting his glance down and wrapping each of his namesakes around his brothers. "When- when Blue got here. My Miles Eccentric couldn't fix itself. I had to fully restart it to work again. That... there would have been no time to do that with a full plane."

"...Please say something." Amy pleaded eyes rimmed red. Blue didn't speak. 

Closing his eyes painfully, Red reached into his quills and pulled out...

A pair of goggles. 

Blue sucked in a breath.

The echidna took his hand, and gently placed the goggles in them. They were covered in dust, and one of the glasses cracked. "This... this was all I could find. I'm sorry." 

"..." He gently caressed the broken glass, before he asked with gritted teeth. "...The plane crashed because Robotnik used the emeralds?" 

"..." Red turned to Tails, not knowing the answer. The fox confirmed it with a nod.

"If... if such a strong power source is not connected properly to the machine intended to use it... then yes, it can and will mess up everything else that's supposed to work with the same tech and field."

"...So it's my fault." 

"Sonic-" Amy gasped, already reaching out, but Maddie beat her to it, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Blue, honey, no. It's not-"

"I was supposed to find the emeralds first." His shoulders shook, and Maddie wasn't surprised to see the slightest bit of lightning sparking between his quills. "I was supposed to fight Robotnik. Not Amy, not Knuckles, and definitely not Tails."

He hugged the goggled close to himself, shutting his eyes.

"I was supposed to be there."

"Oh, sweetheart-" 

Blue pushed her hand off. His shaking became more violent. 

"I should have been there."

"You are not to blame for what Robotnik has done-" Knuckles tried to soothe him, but the hedgehog growled.

"Okay- backing away-"

"..." His eyes were shiny, he looked at the goggles again.

"I... I need a moment." 

"Sonic!-" 

Blue left before anyone else could call after him.

Not knowing what to do, the two adults stared at each other. Before glancing at them again.

Red closed his eyes. Amy broke down crying. 

It wasn't often that Wade was sent out to patrol out of their little home. In fact, the most he usually did was make sure no car was speeding too fast.

Then again, nothing had been normal ever since Sonic's arrival. 

Ever since those mysterious explosions and energy outages, a couple of weeks back, they had gotten many, many reports and complaints about strange activities, deep in the forest. Phones refusing to work, car screens glitching out, weird amber alerts popping up. Usually, it would have been Tom to check it out, but Tom had been taking many free days. Family situation, he had said.

Which left Wade to check out the reports.

In the middle of the day, of course. He had seen enough horror movies to know what could happen. No way he was checking it out at night! 

Looking around left and right, all he saw were trees. 

Boooooring.

He hoped it would stay that way, he had no car with him. All he had was his phone, to check out if it would glitch. 

But he had been walking for an hour, with no change whatsoever. The man was half-tempted to just leave.

Until finally, his phone started beeping.

Wade jumped out of his skin- and actually fell, immediately sitting up. One look at his phone showed a glitched phone screen.

Okay.

Stay calm, Wade.

He inhaled and exhaled through his nose, got up, hand ready at where his tazer was. You could never be too sure...

"LFPD!" He yelled warningly, slowly creeping forward. "I don't know what or who you are- if there is anyone there at all-... but put your hands in the air!"

Creeping forward, more and more... and there was no one there. 

Wade exhaled with relief, pulling his hand back. He flinched at the louder beeping from his phone. And looked up.

His eyes widened.

A large... something, had crashed into the forest, many trees have broken off and were on the ground. In fact... some of them looked burned. Feeling the need to investigate, he followed the path. He guessed he was correct, as the beeping got louder and louder with each step he took. 

And then, he reached the end of the path. 

Wade couldn't tell what it was that crashed in there- but whatever it was was big, covered in dirt, and parts of it destroyed. He walked towards the big machine and touched it. 

"...Hm." Alien tech?! 

He wouldn’t be surprised. Perhaps he should send Sonic a picture, and see if he knew what this thing was. 

As he brushed a hand over the metal and wiped some of the dirt away, he realized there was something written on it. He could make out a couple of letters...

Frowning, Wade pulled down his sleeve to cover his hand, attempting to wipe away the dirt until he could figure out what it said. Even more confused at what he read.

"Tornado 1992"

Chapter Text

Amy couldn't seem to stop crying. 

The poor girl had collapsed onto herself and hugged her torso, weeks of unshown emotions flooding out. It made sense, now that Sonic thought about it. For the weeks she had been here, both of them had been in constant survival mode. Neither had the chance to process. As much as it broke his heart, he understood. 

Red just... stood there, refusing to look at anyone nor show his face, instead looking stoically out of the window. But the hedgehog could see his clenched fists shake the lightest bit, clearly trying to stay strong.

His mother had started crying too, joining Amy on the ground and hugging her tight, not saying a word. What could she say? Nothing Maddie had to offer would soothe the pain and she knew that. So instead, she held her. 

Sonic looked away from the scene, turning to his two brothers again. Tails' expression was unreadable, looking down, while Knuckles held onto him as if his life depended on it. Tom had left, running after Blue to make sure he didn't do anything... drastic. 

"...I think I should go." Tails finally broke the silence, his voice oh so soft, looking hesitantly at the two from the other world. Knuckles looked up and agreed with a nod. Still, he looked at Sonic for approval.

What do you do in such a situation?

Sonic would feel like the worst person on earth if he left, but it wasn't helping anyone if Tails were stuck here. But he didn’t wanna leave Tails alone, either, because surely he had to be feeling something?

Sonic definitely did.

A version of his little brother. Dead. 

For him.

Is this what would have happened if Sonic hadn't managed to get the emeralds? Would their version of his youngest brother try to crash into Eggman, too? 

That thought terrified him. 

Maddie was petting the quills of the child in her arms, making shushing and cooing sounds, not knowing what to do. She hesitantly looked at Red- oh, poor thing. She wanted to hug him too. But having noticed his explosive personality the last two days, she couldn't risk it. So she focused on her three sons instead. 

Knuckles send her one look. She nodded. 

So Knuckles got up, picked the fox up with him, and took Sonic's hand. Silently leading them out of the room.

Where to find the alternate version of your alien son because he ran away after finding out his brother was dead?

Tom seemed done with life but was worried, driving around in his car. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain Blue must be in right, nor his other two friends.

So much grief...

Wade hadn't picked up when he called, surprisingly, so he had called Carl instead, asking him to please let him know if he saw the other speedster around. 

Well... that had been an hour ago. Tom was running out of places to look, growing a little worried.

He wouldn’t have left town, right? He didn't know the way-!

His car screen glitched. The human frowned. "...What the?"

His navigation system seemed to stop working, and the map on the screen was replaced with error signs.

"...Hm.." he stopped the car and parked it at the side of the road before he got up. 

The forest, it seems.

...Ah. Of course. 

Amy and Red had been found here... so had Blue, now that Tom thought about it. Just a different section of the forest.

Tom wouldn't be surprised if Blue happened to be here, just when his navigation system glitches conveniently. 

So, without hesitation but slight caution, he walked in, disappearing between the trees.

It wasn't as hard as Tom thought it would be to find him. Which was also concerning. 

Blue was at the exact spot where they had found Amy, curled up and on the ground. Even if his back was facing him, Tom could see the way his shoulders shook.

He ignored the sparks of blue between his quills.

"..." 

He silently walked towards him, before sitting on the ground. Close enough to hug, but not touching him. Together, they sat in silence. 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry,"

Tom turned his gaze towards him, confused. "Why?"

"Dragged you all the way here." His voice was devoid of emotion, and Blue didn't lift his head. "Left you with that mess."

His eyes softened. "I understand,"

"..." 

"..." 

"...Come on, bud." Tom gently patted his shoulders, shifting slowly. "It's getting cold."

Blue made no move to get up.

"Blue..."

"..." 

"...It's all my fault." The hedgehog softly whispered, voice just as blank as before. 

"Hey, no-"

"It is." Blue shrugged, finally lifting his head slightly so only his eyes were visible. They were very red. "If I had listened, he would be here."

"Blue-"

"If I had been there, he would be safe." Finally, emotion bled into his face, although Tom doubted anger wasn't exactly healthy to feel right now- let alone towards himself. "If I had been a better hero, he would be here. If I had been a better brother, he would be here!" 

The more he spoke, the more Blue raised his voice- tears pricked into his eyes. "I- what was I thinking?! That kid is- was- He was EIGHT!" He growled, looking around wildly, arms twitching at his side and unsure what to do with them. "Robotnik was after me. Not him, me. And they all tried to warn me! But then I had to be so  stupid-"

"Sonic."

The hedgehog shut up at once. Tom was looking at him sternly, but also sad. 

The human cupped his cheek.

"Robotnik was after the emeralds. Not you. You were just the only one brave enough to stop him." He sighed. "It's not your fault who gets hurt along the way, you did everything you could. It's Robotnik's." 

"..." his anger died out, and Blue allowed tears to drip down his cheeks. He curled up- as he did, Tom noticed the goggles he had never let go of, apparently. His heart broke. "Blue..."

"I'm so sorry..." 

"You did nothing wrong, bud..." 

This wasn't Sonic. This was Blue. Tom didn't know whether he should be his friend or parent.

But then his heart completely shattered at the soft cries he heard and didn't hesitate to scoop the smaller one into his arms. Blue didn't comment and instead leaned into his warmth.

He was a kid, after all.

It was hours later the duo arrived back home. 

Tom hadn't let go of the Mobian in his hold, carrying him back inside as he opened the door. Blue didn't comment on it nor did he try to move, his bloodshot eyes focused on the only thing of his brother he had left. 

Maddie had been the one to open the door. Immediately, she scooped the duo up into a hug and pressed a kiss on the hedgehog's head.

"I made toast." She whispered to her husband. "I... didn't have the energy for anything else."

Tom nodded and stepped inside. "How are they?"

"Red is in the garden... Amy in the living room."

"The kids?" 

"Locked themselves upstairs." 

He nodded with understanding as he made his way to the living room. On the couch, he could see the pink hedgehog curled up, her eyes just as red as Blue's. She looked up when she heard walking. The other looked away with shame.

"Sonic," she said softly, sitting straighter when he was placed beside her. She didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug, touching their heads together. Blue's breath hitched before he closed his eyes.

"...Should we go get Red?" Tom asked, but his wife was already shaking her head.

"It's better to let him be." Maddie looked sadly out the window, seeing the echidna just standing there. "He... needs some time."

"..." The other sighed. How would they go forward now?

"Tails!" The hedgehog cried out, forgetting her anger in an instant and holding the watch close to her mouth. "You have to land!"

"Oh really?!" The fox snapped. "I had no idea!"

"Stop with the sarcasm!"

"What does it look like I'm trying to do?!" The fox hysterically asked the many warnings from the plane, blaring in his ears. "I'm pressing all the buttons here! The plane isn't responding to me!"

"That blast." The echidna breathed out.

Error error error-

"That blast messed up everything electronic!" The girl cried out. "Tails, all robots down here completely broke down too!"

"That isn't helping me!" The kit cried, sounding more frustrated by the minute. "Just shh for a second! I'm trying to calculate the best way to get out of here!"

Okay. The plane was going too fast, he couldn't stop nor control it- 

He needed to jump. It was risky, but he had no other-

One of his tails wouldn't budge. The fox froze. Before, slowly, he turned around.

During all the panic and adrenaline, he hadn't even realized. 

Part of the plane, the inside. It had been trashed. Broken down.

On top of his tail.

Extremely pale, the kit tried to pull his tail free. But it was no use. He got  dreadfully silent.

"Tails?" the hedgehog asked worriedly, not bothering to get up. "Honey, answer me please?"

"...Amy." His voice sounded shaky, yet disconnected. "You... you guys need to find shelter." 

"What- why?"

"The plane is going to crash."

"WHAT?!"

The fox was quick to calm her down.

"I'm gonna jump out!"

He hadn't meant to lie. 

"Oh, yeah, that makes it so much better-"

But right now, he had no choice.

"Amy! Listen to me!" The fox cub said. "I can't get this plane under control, there is no use trying to save it! I can fly. So I'm going to make the plane crash into his weapon to destroy it, and jump out! You guys need to shelter because there is no doubt that things will explode!"

"But... what about Sonic?"

"..."

"Sonic is tough." The echidna said. "And Tails can always come up with a new plan to get that moron back. Right now, however, Eggman is the only one who can reach him- which is worse." He held the watch to his mouth. "Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

"I'll... I'll be fine." his voice shifted, accepting his fate. He couldn't just die... he couldn't!-

His eyes fell on the chaos emerald in the plane. A plan quickly formed in his mind.

If he didn't make it out...

He would make sure that machine wouldn't, either.

"...I'll even take the emerald with me." 

His eyes snapped open at once. 

Tails lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and wide awake. Before he groaned.

Still?

He had thought that now that he knew why he was having these dreams, they would stop... they had with his older brothers.

Speaking off...

Knuckles' hold tightened on him, while Sonic nuzzled closer to him from his other side. After finding out about his counterpart's fate, the older two now refuse to leave his side. Through some miracle, neither of them had woken up.

Tails tried to muffle his giggles when Sonic snored. 

Perhaps the purpose of the dream wasn't to just show what happened... but then what was it for? Would he have to relive everything now? 

The fox made a face at that. And snorted when Knuckles mumbled in his sleep.

Actually...

Maybe... maybe he could try and scan the master emerald itself? It would give answers-

Oh. Right.

His expression fell. 

His Miles Electric was still broken. 

"..." he huffed and tried to wriggle out of Knuckles' grasp. Easier said than done, from how heavy he was. But the fox managed to slip out with some effort, and snuck downstairs, into Knuckles' room.

In there, he saw the emerald. And he huffed.

"What is it you're trying to do...?" He asked no one, making his way over. "You're starting to give me a headache, you know?" 

He gently touched the top, letting his mind run free. "...Knuckles and Sonic's dreams stopped once they met their counterparts... is that what I need to do? Meet my counterpart? But he's not..." he trailed off. 

"..." 

"...Or... it's not our counterparts you're after..." theories ran through his mind, making him think. Okay. Let's put everything he knew in chronological order.

The other Eggman stole the emeralds.

He used the emeralds to send Blue here. 

His other self crashed the plane. 

Amy and Red got sent here...

...

His eyes widened.

The other Eggman used the emeralds to send the others here.

"...Or... you're reacting on the other emeralds-? No, that doesn't make sense- how would it-" 

It was possible that Blue did end up in this world by chance... but Tails didn't like to think of it like that.

What else was there? 

Blue had used the emeralds before.

His counterpart had the final one Eggman needed...

From what Amy had said, the machine had been intended to kill but just malfunctioned... 

Or...

Couldn't act the way it was supposed to.

...Let's think about it.

Why would Eggman be after the final emerald... if the ones he already had were enough? 

So what if Eggman's machine didn't malfunction... it wasn't ready.

The doctor most likely hadn't known, Tails noted. But it did make sense...? 

He couldn't confirm, sadly. Only theorize.

Okay. Let's go with that theory. The machine didn't malfunction, it was missing parts... emeralds...

And then, through some force, it ended up connecting with their world... with the emerald? Could it do that? He would ask Red, but he wasn't... in his right mind. Maybe Knuckles?

Okay, let's say the emeralds connected with the master emerald... why would it give them those dreams? 

...To find the missing emerald? But if they could do that, wouldn't his counterpart have figured that out and found the emeralds before Eggman could? 

He groaned to himself. And froze when he heard the door creak open, unmoving.

"...Tails?"

"...Knuckles?"

"Wrong one." 

The fox looked up and saw the echidna's arm in a cast. "Oh. Hi, Red. Did I wake you?" 

The older didn't say anything and instead walked inside, looking at the emerald Tails had been inspecting. "..." 

"...Uhm... sorry."

"No need." Red wouldn't face him, expression mournful. The fox's ears lowered slightly. And they sat in awkward silence.

"...Should I go?"

"Nah. I just..." he didn't know how to say before he took a deep breath in and out. "Could I hug you?"

"..." Tails silently nodded. Red still seemed hesitant, but before he could change his mind, looped his arms around his middle. Tails hugged back as much as he could.

Within no time at all, Red let go again, looking down. "Thank you."

"Sure." Guilt eating away at his heart, The fox sighed.

The weekend had become awkward.

Maddie still prepared breakfast how she usually would, while Tom walked the dog. Sonic decided to join him, wanting to get away from the... mourning? Sadness? 

"Does that mean our Tails would do that too, dad?" The hedgehog whimpered, holding onto Ozzie's leash and for once not racing ahead. "I don't want him to..."

"...I don't know." Honestly, he was tired of all this multiversal nonsense. He didn't understand, it was too much... "But he won't ever need to, Sonic. Your brother is alright." 

"He looked really sad in the morning." They turned the block, the park coming into view. "Immediately started working on the portal again- locked himself in the garage."

Well... that did make sense. Tom didn't want to imagine how awkward his youngest must be feeling around the ones he had been so excited to meet. "He just needs time,"

"I guess- hey!" Ozzie stopped walking to turn around- and just throw himself on top of the one walking him. Sonic couldn't help but laugh at the attack, trying to push the dog away. "Ahahaha- Ozzie!!"

The human snorted, and quickly took his phone out of his pocket to record. "Good boy, my soldier."

"Dad!" 

"Sorry, son."

"Traitor!!!"

Trying his best not to laugh out loud, Tom covered his mouth. The recording was forced to stop when he got a notification. From Wade?

He closed the camera app and pressed the message. Before he could even read it, the image of a wrecked... machine? was the first thing he saw.

Found this yesterday. Thought I'll keep you updated.

"...Huh. Look at that, Sonic." He kneeled as his son finally managed to push Ozzie off. Sonic's face lit up.

"Aliens."

"...Aren't you technically an alien?"

"How rude." He huffed with offense, crossing his arms. "I'll have you know Donut Lord, I'm a Mobian not an alien."

"Sorry." He snickered.

"Mom!" Sonic tried to ignore the somber atmosphere once he walked inside, and sped up to hug Maddie's legs. She chuckled and patted his quills.

"Well hello there."

"Wade found an alien ship!"

"He did?" Looking amused, she turned to her husband. He shrugged.

"He just found some broken machinery."

"Ah." 

Red was the only Mobian in the room, hanging over the end of the couch, not exactly looking at anything. Sonic's expression softened. "Hey, Red." 

A hum of acknowledgment was the only response he got. 

"He thinks it perhaps got stolen from somewhere, right now they're checking at the station to see if any mechanics are missing anything." Tom shrugged, sitting down on the couch to show Maddie the picture. The other sat down beside him.

"Isn't that too big to be stolen by one person?"

"Exactly."

"A group of thieves?"

Red looked up lazily from his spot, the subject of thieves and need to be protected immediately eating at his nature. He couldn't help it. It was just the way he was. And caught sight of the picture.

And his eyes widened with shock.

Before anyone could blink, he snatched the phone out of Tom's hands, staring at it with disbelief. "Hey!"

"...This was found on earth?" He sounded different. Emotion had seeped into his voice, and he looked up. Tom frowned.

"...Yeah? Is there something wrong?"

Red looked down again. Inspecting the picture, just to be sure. 

Before he found the marking he was looking for. 

And jumped out of his seat, running towards the stairs.

"SOOONIIIIC!!!!"

"H-hey!" Concerned, the parents got up, immediately running after him. "R-Red?!"

Blue and Amy, who had been staring at nothing and curled up on the bed, jumped out of their skin when Red slammed the door open, out of breath. "K-Knuckles?!"

"What was that for-?!"

A phone was shoved into Blue's hands. He frowned. "...Is that Tom's phone?"

His eyes were red.

Red paid it no mind, shoving the device as close to his face as he could. "This was found on earth."

"G-get off!" Blue shoved him away. Amy, who was stuck between them, yelped.

"Knuckles, slow down!" 

"Just look at the damned picture!"

"Red!!" Tom burst inside, looking lost at the scene. The echidna, who had been devoid of emotions previously, was on top of the two hedgehogs, shoving his phone screen into their faces. 

Once they finally managed to push Red off, did they look. "What could be so important that you-?" 

Amy started coughing before she could finish her sentence. Blue's hands went slack as his heart stopped.

As broken, rusty, and destroyed as it may be...

That was definitely the Tornado.

Chapter Text

The trio was deadly silent. 

Maddie looked uncomfortably at the back through the mirror as she drove, heart breaking once she noticed Blue was stroking the glasses of the youngest, eyes hollow. It was unusual to see him sit so still, not even fidgeting in place. 

Amy and Red didn't seem any better, one had sat at each side of the hedgehog, with the echidna staring at the window and the pink hedgehog studying her legs. At the trunk of the van, her three sons were sitting silently.

Tom was looking behind them both, worry dancing across his eyes. 

The moment.

The moment it had been confirmed that that plane was, in fact, the Tornado, breakfast had been forgotten, and everyone had gotten dressed and hopped into the car. Though Maddie did make sure to grab some breakfast to go from a bakery. 

Originally, Blue had sped out the second he saw the picture, but returned a minute later, looking upset. He didn't know where the plane was.

So Wade had sent Tom his location, and now they were on their way.

His heart sank when he recognized the same forest they kept returning to.

Parking the car on the side of the road once more, no one said a word as they walked in. Tom was in front of everyone, eyes trained on his phone screen- until it started glitching again. He stopped.

"...I'm starting to think that everything breaking down here had something to do with you three." He grumbled and put his phone in his pocket.

"Well... if everyone did end up here... Maybe there is some mystical artifact or something that drew everyone towards this specific spot..." Tails softly mumbled, looking around. He had no way to confirm that theory, sadly. Red, meanwhile, was silently fuming.

"You're telling me his plane crashed here. At the same time as us. And we didn't find it?"

"That's not your fault, honey." Maddie tried to console him, patting his head. 

All the way at the back, Sonic glanced at his counterpart, who wouldn't look away from his feet. So he gently tapped Blue's shoulder, who jolted. The younger smiled softly. "Hey."

"..." Blue looked away, tapping his foot. Sonic sighed. "I get it."

"Sooooo... we're gonna freestyle the rest of the way!" Tom decided, choosing a random direction and walking forward. Maddie grabbed his jacket before he could continue.

"How about not getting lost in the forest?"

"Well, how else are we going to find it?"

Tails had already started flying, his phone in hand. He flew left. The glitching became less. He flew right. It became worse.

"...This way." Not waiting to see if anyone was following, he already left. Knuckles and Sonic were quick to run after him."

"Hey!"

"Hold on!"

Sonic hated not being able to run at full speed, but he knew he had to follow the fox. So for once, he decided to be patient. 

"...I am worried about what we will find." Knuckles admitted, a frown on his face. The younger couldn't help the breath he let out.

"That makes two of us, pal." 

"..." Tails didn't respond to either of them, instead concentrating on his screen. The rest had been left behind, still catching up.

"How will we even know we are at the correct location?" The older continued to ask and turned around the corner. 

Many, many trees had broken down, all the trunks laying on the ground and burn marks all over the ground and trunks.

"...That seems like a clue," Sonic answered without looking away. Tails turned off his phone and landed on the ground. Together, they followed the track of burns and fallen trees.

Until they found it. And froze on the spot.

Crashed into a tree that had somehow not fallen, covered in rust, dirt, and burns, stood what once used to be a red plane. 

Yellow tape was plastered all around the surrounding trees to keep people out. Wade stood there alone though, taking pictures. Most likely so that as few people as possible saw the Mobians. 

He looked up once he finally noticed them, and smiled. "Sonic! Come check this out!"

"...The wings are broken." Tails said without looking away, before starting to fly again, over the tape, and making his way to the wings. "From the dents... something else crashed into them. It would cause the plane to lose its balance and spin."

Behind him, Sonic heard a horrified gasp and turned around. Amy had her hands pressed to her mouth in shock, while Blue and Red just... stood there. Maddie gently took Blue's hand. Tom stepped over the yellow tape.

"This was found yesterday?"

"Hm." His friend shrugged. "They think this thing is the cause for all the glitching at the station." 

"From the burn marks and the way the paint has melted off the plane... I would say the plane used an outer power source." The fox hummed. "No plane can go this fast... Sonic, this thing flew at almost your speed."

"And no one has touched it?" Tom asked. Wade shook his head.

He couldn't help but notice the cockpit was closed. "So... no one checked...?"

Oh god.

Amy whimpered at the thought, and Red winced. Tails flinched away from the plane, horrified. Knuckles looked up with confusion. "What does that mean?" 

"I'll explain later," Sonic whispered to him, trying not to throw up. 

Blue, however, stepped forward after a moment of hesitation and didn't stop until he reached the Tornado, and climbed on top of it. Shaky hands rested on the glass of the cockpit, and he hesitated.

"..." Red made his way to him and grabbed under the window. It was rusted shut. "On three."

Blue nodded and braced himself.

"One... two... three." 

And they pushed open the cockpit, starting to cough from the amount of smoke that came out. Still, Blue had his eyes squeezed shut and didn't dare open them until he was ready.

The cockpit was empty.

Oh thank chaos.

He exhaled with relief, body suddenly like jelly and almost collapsing- Red was quick to catch him. "He's not here." 

The group seemed to melt with relief, just like Blue had... only to realize a second later.

The fox wasn't in the plane. 

He got out.

He got out.

"H-hey!" Sonic yelped when the pink hedgehog burst into tears and collapsed. Maddie's hand was pressed against her chest, heart racing. 

Red carefully helped Blue into a sitting position on the wing, before he climbed into the cockpit. Looking up, Blue winced at the red spot on the glass. Or the amount of fur that covered the pilot seat.

"...The emerald is gone too." The echidna announced, climbing out and helping Blue down. "He couldn't have gotten far... I hope." 

"You and me never left." Amy sniffed and rubbed at her eyes as she got up. Maddie gently patted her head. 

"How about we split up?" 

"Good idea."

"...I'm sorry, what exactly were you expecting to see when I mentioned this thing?" Wade asked. Tom just patted his back.

"Yo, Tails!!" Sonic called, immediately shushed by Tom and Knuckles. Amy, Maddie, and Red were looking at another area. Tails was with Wade. Blue was speeding through the forest.

"I do not think the fox would be here, Sonic." Knuckles voiced his doubts, looking around. "I understand why the other me and hedgehog would stay... but Tails is smart. He can fly as well... he would have more advantage if he left."

"Well, better not risk it!"

Tom and Knuckles shared a look. The echidna could tell the human felt the same. But didn't voice his concerns.

"Where else would he even go?" Sonic continued, speeding left and right as they walked. "He doesn't know this place! Wouldn't it be smarter to stay?"

"Staying in one place in an area you don't know is foolish."

"Worked pretty fine for me!"

Knuckles looked unimpressed. 

Tails was busy inspecting the plane. 

Whatever it was about it disrupting the electronic devices, he wanted to know. It could be important, after all.

His first theory had been that it was thanks to a Chaos Emerald- but as Red said, it wasn't here. Could some energy be left by it, perhaps...?

More importantly... was this energy tied to the dreams he was still having?

Now that there was hope that his counterpart was still alive, it let many, many theories run loose in the young genius' mind. So he summed everything up to himself as he checked the bottom of the plane.

Okay. His counterpart may be alive, after all. On earth. And probably had a chaos emerald. 

Tails was the only one still having these dreams. 

The Master Emerald lit up every time he had one.

So his original theory had been that the emerald caused these. 

But why?

Okay. Sonic said he just had one dream. Knuckles said he stopped the moment they met Amy and Red... hm... 

Maybe... maybe he needed to meet his counterpart for these dreams to stop? 

He stopped. 

But why would the emerald show them these then? To find its missing pieces-? No, it would show them Eggman otherwise...

...

Or... it was to find his other self...?

"..."

"Hey, Tails?" The fox got out of the plane when he was called. And frowned at the hedgehog who was hovering above him.

"Uhm... which one...?"

"Hm-? Oh! I'm Blue." Blue chuckled softly at his mistake. Tails smiled in return and sat straight. 

"Find anything?"

"Ahm... no." His expression fell before he looked up hesitantly. "You...?"

"Well..." his namesakes started spinning to make him fly so he could point. "Other than what I already told you? The engine is- in pretty bad shape... uhm." He cleared his throat. "From what I understand, it almost caught on fire at some point. But I can't find anything that would cause the glitching of electronics." 

"Hm... that would be energy left by the emerald." The older one hummed and patted the side of the plane. Tails looked surprised.

"It can do that?"

"Yeah. Always left some energy with me too after I used it."

His eyes widened with shock. Blue noticed and frowned. "...What?"

"You used it?" he stopped flying to drop himself in front of him, looking shocked. Blue laughed awkwardly.

"Ahm- yeah. A couple of times, actually..."

"...Which means you and the emerald would be linked together..." his eyes widened further, tails wagging behind him as he started coming up with theories once more. And he gasped. "The emeralds are acting on what you want!"

"...What-?"

"Ah-" right. Blue can't exactly read his mind. Tails laughed awkwardly, rubbing a hand behind his neck. "I was thinking earlier about how I'm still getting these dreams. I already confirmed that it's because of the emerald but couldn't figure out why- I wonder if it's acting on your desire to find us..." he trailed off. "That would explain why Knuckles' dreams stopped when he met Red..." 

"..." Blue looked up at the plane again. "Say, Tails. If it had been you in this situation... would you have stayed here?"

"No." the fox replied without hesitation. Blue closed his eyes painfully.

"I would have followed you."

That made him open his eyes again. "...What?"

"I get hit by a mysterious ray you got hit with as well." The fox explained. "Staying in one place is dangerous, especially in a world you don't know. I would find you. Trust me, I would." 

"..." Blue couldn't help the soft smile that reached his face and snickered softly. "Why am I surprised..." 

Tails smiled brightly once he saw the hedgehog laughing. He shook his head good-heartedly and continued. "You did always follow me ever since you were little..." 

"...Sonic said you and I met when I was four?"

"Hm. You were one of the most adorable kids I met." His cheeks flushed slightly red at that.

"Really?"

"I could show you plenty of pictures~" 

Tails' ears went down as his face became redder, and he huffed. "How do you manage to embarrass me even when you're not my brother?"

"What can I say? It's the blue sibling charm!"

Tails rolled his eyes and looked up. His expression softened when he saw Blue looking livelier than before.

"I thought about a scanner to perhaps track him down using heat signatures- but he would have the same amount of heat as any fox or dog on here." Tails brainstormed, back in the car, and now on their way back home. Sonic and Blue had already run off, so they fit easily in the car. "Maybe I can try and track down the emerald instead... Red, would that work?"

"The emerald does contain high levels of chaos energy..." the echidna mumbled. Knuckles nodded in agreement. Amy sat silently, squeezed between them. She was on her phone, reading through something. 

"Where would you go if you had the chance?"

"After Sonic." 

"...But you don't know where he is."

"So I would find him." The fox huffed and looked out the window. Maddie couldn't help but smile at that. Tom was silent as he drove. 

Knuckles rolled his eyes, and gently wrapped an arm around the cub. "I admire your determination, Tails. But how do you plan on doing so without any tools?"

"He has an emerald... and it's not like Sonic is exactly the silent type." He giggled at that. His brother chuckled. 

"That is true." 

"That doesn't matter now!" Red grumbled, fidgeting in his seat. "He didn't find Sonic, he's lost somewhere and it is our job to find that kid so where the heck would he go?!"

"Don't snap at him, Knuckles." Amy scolded lightly. "Tails would have said the same."

"...I suppose I would have avoided rivers and such." The fox hummed. "And Sonic always goes to crowded places, for some reason..."

"Maybe the better question would be to ask Sonic where he would go." Amy chuckled fondly. Red only huffed. 

"Well... I suppose I would avoid people?" 

"We'll find him, Red." Maddie turned to face the echidna properly and smiled reassuringly. "I promise."

"I can have Carl looking out for him," Tom muttered. "I would say Wade too but he has his hands full with the plane." 

"Any help would be great... I wonder if any animalistic instincts took over-"

BOOM!

The earth shook.

They all screamed, Tom and Maddie immediately clinging to the handles in the car as Knuckles squeezed Tails tight. Red did the same for Amy and immediately tried to get out. It was only a couple of seconds later the shaking stopped. The car, however, was still beeping like crazy, lights flickering on and off as if it had its own free will.

"...What was that?!"

"Everyone, out of the car." Tom immediately ordered, opening the door. They did as they were told, walking a couple of feet away before they stopped.

"An earthquake, this time of year?" Maddie sounded confused and looked around.

"...Mom?" Tails held out his phone for her to see. The screen was glitching. It stopped soon enough. 

"But... we're away from the plane..." Amy took out her own phone. That, however, was still glitching. As was her wrist com, she realized. "Knuckles, is your wrist com okay?"

"No..." the older frowned and pressed some buttons. Nothing.

But everything else stopped-?

"Is this because we got close to the plane?" The youngest wondered out loud, writing something down in his notes. Tom, meanwhile, was texting Wade to ask if something abnormal was going on with the plane. 

"I don't think so..." their senses long having gone off, both echidnas looked around warily, looking ready to attack whoever may be near. Their concentration got broken when Tails threw his phone away without warning.

"Tails?!" His brother was at his side in an instant, not liking the fact that the cub had thrown his phone away. Tech was precious to that kid, even more so after the destruction of his Miles Electric, so something must be seriously wrong for him to just throw his phone away. 

"Maddie." The color had drained out of Tom's face as he held out his phone for his wife to see. She gasped in shock.

"But how is that-?!"

Getting concerned now, Amy walked over to grab the phone-

She screamed.

"Amy?! What's wrong?" Red asked, prepared to smash that phone into pieces as he rushed over. Shakily, the hedgehog presented him with the phone screen. And all the air was knocked out of his throat.

The Eggman symbol.

"You like Flash?"

"I don't wanna watch anything right now, mini-me."

"I'm putting on The Flash." 

Blue frowned as Sonic did as he wanted. He didn't even smile when Ozzie walked over and sniffed his face.

"How can you think about movies right now?! My little brother is out there doing who knows what, he could be hurt!-"

"It's mostly for background noise," Sonic said. Ozzie seemed to get bored of the other one and walked over to Sonic instead. The hedgehog giggled.

"Besides. Tails is tough. He's fought bad guys before- and he lived alone before he met you, did he not? So he knows some survival."

"...I know..." The older one sighed with defeat and crossed his arms. His foot was tapping impatiently. "It's just... after thinking he was- ya know. And now to find out he's been here this whole time..." 

"I get it." A hand was gently placed on his shoulder, and the hedgehog looked up. Sonic smiled kindly. "And we'll find him- I can promise you that. We found him once before- we can do it again, right?"

"...More like he found us." Finally, Blue smiled. The younger inwardly cheered.

"That's true." 

"...So. Any places you think he could have gone?" Blue walked over to sit on the couch. His legs were slightly sore from running so much. The other hummed.

"The school, maybe? Or maybe he found my old cave- hm..." he trailed off to think. 

...

...

BOOM!

The two cried out as the building shook. Blue fell backward on the couch, while Sonic landed on his stomach.

"...Is that normal?" Blue asked once it was over, and winced at the static sound from the TV. Sonic got up and shook his head.

"No, not reall-..." he frowned at the glitching.

"...What's wrong, mini-me?"

"This... this is just like when you-"

The screen of the TV burst into red. 

An Eggman symbol appeared not even a minute later.

The duo froze on the spot as Ozzie started barking. 

"...No way." Sonic breathed, reaching for his chest. Lightening sparked between his quills in response to his stress. The other hedgehog had stopped breathing altogether. 

Once it seemed ready, the symbol and red screen disappeared completely, showing them what seemed to be a lab. Old, and slightly damaged it seemed, but a clear, functioning lab with strangely-shaped robots placed neatly in a row. Big, small, flying- all kinds of them. 

In front of all those bots, in the center of the screen stood-

Eggman. 

"Citizens of this strange planet!" the man laughed, turning his chair so he could face the screen. This man looked exactly like the last time Sonic had seen his Eggman... only rounder- and appeared to look this way by choice.

"My name is Doctor Robotnik!" the doctor said, twirling a hand through his mustache. "For some years now, I have been after the chaos emeralds to gain full control of the planet Mobius... but only once I acquired six out of seven emeralds did I wonder... why stop there?" He held out his hands, and lights lit up behind him. "When there is such a big universe out there?!"

The robots behind him lit up and clapped. "You go, sir!" A smaller bot yelled. Sonic could see it out of the corner of the screen: a little, red, circle-shaped bot. 

"However..." Eggman frowned. "To reach my goal, I need the final chaos emerald in my control. Which is why... Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Okay, this was getting creepy now. The lightning between his quills only worsened as the younger took a step back. Blue didn't say anything.

"For weeks now, I have been studying this strange planet..." He hummed and looked around. "Although I couldn't find your exact coordinates... I did conclude that you are around this small town called 'Green Hills'..." In response to this statement, a picture of Green Hills was shown on the screen. "I've hunted you down for years, I've fought you many times over, again and again... and although it wasn't my intention to send you here- I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have found this planet otherwise!"

"Ohhh... that little-" Blue grumbled under his breath. Sonic gently took his arm.

"So here's what's gonna happen," Eggman said. "I have analyzed you, I know every one of your moves. Your strengths... your weaknesses. So you will do as I say, and deliver the final chaos emerald to my newest, lovely base..." a map was shown on the screen- 

"Where did that come from?!" Sonic cried out, eyes almost building out of their sockets. The new Eggman building in the middle of what seemed to be a beach was not supposed to be there! 

"Did he figure out how to use the emeralds...?" The older hedgehog asked with growing horror, arms twitching at his side. 

"If you don't? Not only will I send my army to that town and rip it into pieces..."

Eggman turned the camera to the side. His row of bots parted to create an open space as well, to make way for a larger, red bot, apparently holding something in its hands-

"You stupid- let go of me!"

Sonic's heart stopped.

"No way..." he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen. He felt Blue's hands slacken. 

As the bot stepped into clear view, it was holding a very familiar fox in its hands. 

The hands were large enough to pin down his entire body, only leaving his head in view. The kit's ears were down, and one of his eyes squeezed shut. There was something brown at the side of his head, clearly old. 

A smaller bot stepped forward and held out its hand- which turned into a laser, pointed at the cub's head. The fox didn't seem to care as he glared daggers at Eggman, who laughed.

"But your little sidekick GETS IT!"

Miles 'Tails' Prower (2) joined the party!

Doctor 'Eggman' Robotnik joined the party!

Chapter Text

As the bot stepped into clear view, it was holding a very familiar fox in its hands. 

The hands were large enough to pin down his entire body, only leaving his head in view. The kit's ears were down, and one of his eyes squeezed shut. Dried blood had stuck at the side of his head, from the crash in his airplane. The feeling of cold metal on his fur felt uncomfortable, but he could live.

A smaller bot stepped forward and held out its hand- which turned into a laser, pointed at the cub's head. The fox didn't care less as he glared daggers at Eggman, who laughed.

"But your little sidekick GETS IT!"

PAUSE!

Why does Sonic get to be the only one to narrate, am I right?

My name is Tails, the fox who is currently held captive. The man with the terrible mustache holding me captive is Doctor Robotnik- but we just call him Eggman. You're probably wondering how I ended up here!

To understand my train of thought, you need to understand something very important about me.

Once you grow up with the famous hero of Mobius, the legendary Blue Streak, the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog, you learn there are three rules you can never forget.

1. Stay with Sonic. Even if Eggman is always after him, with him, you're the safest you could ever be.
2. Your brother is self-sacrificial and overprotective, so keep yourself out of danger.
3. Never. Stop. Running. 

If you lose Sonic, find him back. You're safe with him, only with him, the world is a dark place out to get you, find Sonic.

If you get lost, find Sonic.

If you're in danger, find Sonic.

If there is a trap, find Sonic. 

Find him as quickly as you can, and whatever you do, don't. Stop. Running.

Maybe it's unhealthy, but I grew up Sonic. We've been running our entire lives! It's familiar. A promise of safety. 

Keep running, find Sonic. 

So that's what I did. 

I ran. 

...Okay, maybe not right away-... perhaps we should have a change of perspective, should we not? Let's recap the entire situation;

A couple of weeks ago, on my home planet Mobius, Robotnik managed to acquire six out of seven of the chaos emeralds. Sonic trusted me with the final one, which we used to power my plane. 

Once we heard of Eggman's so-called plan, we stormed the place to get back the rest of the emeralds. As it turns out, it had been a trap to get the final one. 

In his attempt to get it, Eggman got rid of my older brother using the power of chaos. But since he was missing one, his machine malfunctioned, causing everything made out of electronics to glitch up and break.

Yes, this includes my plane.

Caught up so far? Yeah? Cool! 

"Please... please don't blame yourselves for this? And... don't let Sonic blame himself, either. You have my permission to wack him with your hammer if he does. I love you guys. Goodbye."

He turned off his wrist com before anyone could say anything. And sniffed.

Okay. Okay. Time to be brave, Tails. Be brave. Sonic is brave. You're gonna be brave, too. Take down Eggman, save the planet and your friends. You got this.

Surviving that plane crash would be impossible, and the fox knew that. But he wasn't surviving either way, so might as well go down with a bang, right? 

"Hey, Eggman!" He yelled, pressing some buttons and pulling on a lever, before turning up the cap above a big button and pressing it.

Chaos Emerald activated! Charging...

"If I'm going down, you are going down with me!" He yelled, and pulled harshly on the steering wheel, causing the plane to change its course and head straight to the chaos emeralds and the doctor who had doomed them both. He was pleased to see Eggman didn't look like he could control his egg pod either. Good. 

He wouldn’t make it out? Fine. But then he would destroy the machine- maybe even the emeralds if he got lucky. Eggman wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else, that way.

He could feel the plane picking up speed as they went down- and couldn't help but close his eyes tightly, and take a deep breath. 

'Oh, Amy, Knux- I'm so sorry.' He thought to himself, one of his fingers tapping rapidly against the steering wheel. It was a habit he had picked up from his older brother, he remembered and smiled bitterly. Stress response. His mind was trying to remember things in response to stress- like the day they met, or the day he had perfected his flying- was this what people meant by seeing your life flash before your eyes?

"Don't freak out." He mumbled to himself and took another breath. "You are the sidekick of the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog... if he can do this, so can you."

In his moment, he didn't notice that the emerald had started glowing brighter, brighter- to the point he couldn't ignore it anymore. His eyes snapped open, and the fox looked shocked.

Glowing.

Just like when Sonic-

"Wait, you're not supposed to-" he didn't get to finish his sentence, noticing just a second too late that the weapon was pointed at him now. And it fired.

Tails screamed as everything around them turned into a blinding pool of colors- before turning mostly white, the plane going much faster than ever, until-

The emerald reacted as if he were Sonic, all on its own. And the cub could feel the rush of energy and power spreading through his entire body, giving him strength-

The colors returned.

With a BOOM! he was suddenly in the sky, the plane going down and crashing into multiple trees. He screamed again and shielded his face as much as he could.

The plane crashed into something, causing the eight-year-old to slam towards the front mirror and made him pass out.

...

...

...

*Ping! Ping! Ping!*

*Warning..... damage to the.... bzzzt...*

The fox groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, the upper half of his body draped over the controls and steering wheel. He could smell the smoke coming from the plane, the vehicle itself giving glitching warnings about some sort of damage. He didn't understand what the warnings said, the ringing in his ears way too loud.

Where am I?

It took his heavy mind a minute to remember what happened, but even when he did, he didn't want to move. His body felt sore, really sore and heavy, his mind much worse. He just wanted to lay there and fall back asleep.

The sounds of birds chirping outside immediately awoke his instincts.

Where am I?

I don't know where I am...

Run.

He groaned and groggily managed to look up. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness before he just acted on instinct. Act now, think later. He was in danger. He had to get out.

It took Tails all of his strength to finally get up, only to realize he couldn't move. Turning back, he saw that one of his tails was still very much stuck. Right. 

He breathed in deeply and immediately started coughing from the smoke. Okay... let's not do that. Get out, get out, get out.

The cub grabbed his tail and pulled it weakly. It didn't move. Next, he tried to lift the debris off his namesake, but that didn't work either. His arms shook too much to have a steady grip, and his mind wasn't exactly in the state to think of a plan. 

He just... had to... pull it out. 

This was going to hurt, and he knew it. Still, it was better than the alternative. So Tails counted to three before he pulled as hard as he could, again, and again, and again until his tail suddenly slid out from underneath. He cried out as he could feel the metal cutting into the skin, and covered his mouth to hold back tears. Before he finally pushed open the top part of the plane, crawled out, and collapsed once he was far enough.

"Oh... chaos..." he lay on his stomach, taking a couple of minutes to look at the Tornado.

That... did not look great... nor did his tail. Wincing, he forced himself to check it for damage.

Yeah, okay, the large, red cut across his tail did not look nice, and his tail felt sore too. He couldn't check for broken bones... not without his tech.

Tails whined as he felt something warm drip down his face, and touched the side of his head. His glove was coated red.

Yay. 

Okay. Injuries were... minimal, considering he should be dead now. Was he dead? No, his heart was beating, he could feel that.

Delusional, then? Cause the fox was pretty sure he had been fighting Eggman... and now he was in a forest... 

A glow coming from the plane caught him off guard.

The emerald!

Despite very much not wanting to, Tails forced himself to climb back inside, take the emerald out, and get away again. Coughing, he checked it over. Not even a scratch.

"...That glow.... did you save me?" He wondered out loud, turning the gem over. "But... why? I'm not Sonic... are you acting on his desire, perhaps-?"

Sonic.

Where is Sonic?

Tails looked up again. No hoop-da-loops, the trees were too close to each other, no yellow paths... where had he ended up?! 

He yelped when he heard a peep from behind, shocked to face a tiny squirrel.

Where am I? Where am I?!

Find Sonic. Run.

Okay, slow down, Tails. Your wrist com.  

"...Sonic?" He held his wrist close to his mouth as he spoke, then listened carefully. All he heard was static. 

"....Amy? Knuckles?" 

Bzzzt bzzt...

"..." he sighed and looked around again. Okay... no tech... no friends... location unknown. As a test, he tried to spin his tails to fly and managed to hover for a couple of seconds, before he fell. Nope. 

Wincing, the kit looked around, trying to ease his nerves. Okay. Analyze the situation. 

There was still smoke coming out of the Tornado and the blood on his head was fresh, so he couldn't have been knocked out for long.

Location? Unknown.

Plane status...? 

Tails looked over what used to be the Tornado.

...Unrepairable. 

Friends status? 

He checked his watch. Also unknown. 

Body? He looked himself around again, before wrapping one of his tails around the injured one.

Could be worse. 

He doubted any of his techs had survived the crash... so that left him with only the emerald and himself.

"..." his ears lowered slightly as he held the gem close to his chest, cupping it in his hands and backing into a tree. 

"Run, run!" His instincts roared, the animalistic side of his mind trying to take over the logical one. "You're in danger, Miles, find Sonic, run."

He tried to tell himself no. He should explore, he should- Sonic got hit by the beam too, so he should be somewhere around here-!

The sounds of heavy machinery made him yelp, and quickly hide behind one of the trees. 

Okay. There were people here.

"Run."

No.

He should ask for help.

"Your extra tail, Miles."

He wasn't a small fox cub anymore, he could take some Mobians if they were of the bad kind.

"You're eight. You don't have any of your techs with you, and Sonic is gone."

"How will you protect the emerald?" 

His eyes widened, and he looked down at his hands.

...Okay, new mission.

Find Sonic, protect the emerald.

Find Sonic, protect the emerald.

With a heavy heart, Tails looked at the plane one more time. He couldn't exactly take it with him, could he? 

He walked towards the plane, placed a hand on top of it, and leaned his head against the metal.

"Thank you, for crashing that day." He silently said and closed his eyes. "And thank you for all the happy memories... I'm sorry. Goodbye, old friend." 

With those final words, he held the emerald close to his chest and ran without looking back.

It was instinct, after all.

Don't look back.

Keep yourself safe.

Find Sonic.

Run.

So, I ran!

Not blindly, no. I took note of everything and everyone around me- not that I saw many people, mostly animals, and learned many new facts. About myself included. Did you know that foxes are amazing night-time predators? That's because of our 'night vision' caused by the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light back through- and I'm boring you, am I not? Makes sense, you probably wanna know what happens next.

After all, how did I get captured by the scientist, who is clearly not as talented as I am? What happened to the chaos emerald? When did I get captured?

You'll find out with time, that I can tell you. We gotta continue now!

So are we all caught up? Yeah? Okay, cool! UNPAUSE! 

"But your little sidekick GETS IT!"

Maddie had a hand pressed to her mouth in horror, while Amy was holding onto Red as if her life depended on it. Red was quiet. The fox and another echidna silently held onto their father, speechless. 

...

...

...

"Oh nooooooo." came the sarcastic call from behind the doctor, making them stop their grief and fear for one second. "What a tragedy."

"Do you not know how to shut it, rodent?" Eggman's entire expression changed the moment Tails spoke, the man looking done with life itself. "I'm trying to film a threat over here!"

The laser was pointed closer, yet the cub didn't seem to give a damn. "Ah, right- I'm the sacrifice, am I not? Hold on..." he cleared his throat, and shook his head- before looking at the camera with tears in his eyes, yelling. "Oh Sonic, please come save me! I'm in danger by the stupidest genius in the galaxy and am too weak and small to defend myself."  The last words were spoked with venom, as he glared at Eggman again. The doctor glared back at him, looking as if he was about to throw himself off a balcony.

"What? I'm his sidekick for a reason." 

Tom couldn't help but snort at that comment and covered his mouth. He could see an amused smile starting to spread on his wife's face.

"...You really don't know how to shut up, do you?"

"I'm eight, I'm alone, and I'm bored. What did you expect?"

Red looked at his phone with disbelief, before shaking his head. Amy couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, smiling lovingly at the camera. 

"Look, Eggman-"

"Robotnik."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The fox then- much to their disbelief, casually pulled one of his arms out of the trap and leaned his head into his palm.

The doctor gaped. "How did you-?!"

"If Sonic was here, I would know." the fox said, sounding bored. "If any of them were here, my wrist com would have long found them by now- but it hasn't. Considering I couldn't find them, your faulty, egg-shaped tech definitely can't either. You're really wasting your time here." 

At the Wachowski household, the moment that fox had been shown on the screen, Blue had got up, his expression dark. The guy looked like he was about to murder someone, and Sonic feared he would need to hold him back.

That was, until that first comment. Then the next. And his anger had melted into confusion before a soft smile had started.

"Faulty tech?!" Robotnik looked outright offended, his cast to the world completely forgotten as he turned to face Tails properly. "I'll have you know that it was MY tech that captured you, freak!"

Sonic had honestly expected him to freeze up at that word. Instead, the cub snorted.

"Woooooooow. You're right! You managed to capture the injured eight-year-old after what- four years of fighting? Good on you, doctor!" He smiled cheerfully, giggling as he made his captor yell. 

"..." Sonic giggled, and noticed the way Blue snorted, then shook his head. His tone was different as he muttered under his breath. "This kid..."

"You are even worse than that blue rat, you know that?" Eggman couldn't face him anymore and turned back to the camera to rub at his eyes. Tails shrugged and mumbled.

"Considering that 'blue rat' is the one and only hero of Mobius, I'll take that as a compliment." 

"ENOUGH-" The kit's eyes widened as the robot suddenly squeezed him tight, squeezing the air out of his lungs and making him wheeze. All humor was gone at once, and everyone was watching again on high alert.

"Consider this your only warning, hedgehog!" the doctor turned his attention back to the screen, twirling a finger through his mustache. "You have two hours to deliver the emerald to me. If you don't..." 

The laser was pointed closer to the kit's head. Tails glared at him again.

"So you better  choose quickly... the world, or the fox." 

With that, the video cut off on everything, phones, and screens closed, and tv channels returned once more.

"..." Tom's phone rang in an instant, while Maddie's phone vibrated with many, many text messages from friends and family. Right. They didn't know that wasn't their Tails...

"Carl? Yeah, the kid is fine-" Tom turned around to explain the situation, and Maddie scrambled to answer all the texts. That left the kids to sit in stunned silence. 

"...He's here, Knuckles," Amy mumbled. The echidna nodded.

"I'm aware." 

"We gotta free the fox out of that evil doctor's clutches!" This world's Knuckles yelled, balling his fists and growling. Tails quickly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Knuckles, didn't you hear him? He hasn't found Sonic, he doesn't know where we are!" He pointed at him and himself. "He probably doesn't know about this... situation."

"He thinks Sonic is the emerald," Red grumbled, crossing his arms. "Which means Tails lost it."

"Or hid it." The hedgehog added, her expression darkening as she reached for her hammer, squeezing it tightly. "And that maniac has the audacity to..." 

Tom's phone rang again. This time, it was Sonic. "Carl, I'll call you later." The human informed, before closing their current call and accepting Sonic's. "Yeah, we saw-"

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!!!" He heard an angry shout in the background, the older hedgehog sounding outright outraged. "I'M GOING TO RIP OFF HIS HEAD AND SMASH HIS LITTLE MACHINES UNTIL HE-"

"Get over here." Was all his son said, before the call was closed.

"You just don't know what shut up means, do you?" Doctor Eggman growled once their video was done, and turned back to his little sacrifice. The fox was out of breath, yet still looked at him with hate.

"You killed my brother, you hurt my friends, you destroyed  my plane- and as if that wasn't enough you brought me to the middle of nowhere and captured me!" Tails yelled back, struggling in the bot hold. "The least I can do is annoy you." 

"That hedgehog is not dead, sadly..." the man hummed, twirling a hand through his terrible mustache. As Tails stared at it, he couldn't help the next comment.

"It looks like squirrels are living on your face." 

The doctor's expression darkened. Then, he snapped his fingers, making the mech squeeze the life out of him once more. The fox gagged. 

"Don't test me, freak." Robotnik spat, leaning down so he could look the genius right in his eyes. "I don't know if you simply haven't noticed... but I win. You are at my mercy. This planet is at my mercy. I could blast you right now." 

The laser was pointed at his head again. Tails couldn't help but whimper, and looked away. The weapon was held there for a couple of seconds, before folding away completely.

"I have most of the emeralds minus one, and knowing the rodent, he is already running here to hand it over." The doctor stood straight again, cracked his back, then grinned. "I win."

"...I doubt that." 

His expression turned sour. "Must you have the last comment after everything I say!?"

"Yes." The eight-year-old looked smug. 

"..." his patience wearing thin, Eggman signaled the bot holding Tails with his hand. "Bring him back to the cell... and turn up the degree this time." 

"What-?!" The fox had no time to react as he was lifted once more and dragged back to the cell he had spent the last couple of days in. As he struggled, he thought silently to himself, and sighed.

Hopefully Eggman's message had reached the one he had been searching for.

"What are we still doing here?!" Red angrily yelled, his arms twitching at his side as he looked around like a wild animal looking for prey. Blue was pacing, the only reason he had not already run out was simply because he didn't know where to go. Tom groaned, putting his two hands in front of his mouth.

"Because we need a plan, Red." He gently tried to explain again- yelping at the frustrated yell he got in response.

"I have a plan!" The echidna yelled, looking up. "Bust in, smash stuff, break his nose, bust out!"

"That does not seem like a very effective plan." Knuckles looked confused.

"Look, we've been captured by Eggman before," Amy grumbled, not having let go of her hammer ever since the news had been dropped- much to Maddie's dismay. "Sonic? A lot of times. Me? He had this thing where he kept capturing me for a while. Knuckles? Okay, maybe once... but Tails?"

"That's because he never had a reason to take him," Blue grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently. "As twisted as that egghead is, he is not a fan of child abuse. Even he realized capturing a five-year-old was not a good idea." 

"He has him now, doesn't he!?"

"It doesn't matter who has him or not!" Sonic cut them all off. "What matters is that we make a plan to bust him out. So how do we do that?!"

"How should we know? We've never been in a situation like this before!" Amy groaned. Sonic frowned.

"Well- don't you usually make plans when trying to bust someone out?"

"..." the three mobians looked away. Sonic's eyes widened.

"...You gotta be kidding." 

"You just tell me who to punch. That always worked!" Red hit his one hand with the other. Tom and Maddie looked flabbergasted.

"...No wonder you looked so hurt when you got here!"

"That was different. How was I supposed to know he made a teleporter thing?!"

"He was trying to kill you, Sonic." The pink hedgehog shook her head with disappointment. The blue one huffed.

"My point stands. There is no way we can-"

"Eggman was talking to just you." The youngest cut them off, making all eyes turn towards him. Tails squeaked under the sudden attention and looked down. "I mean- to just Blue. He didn't mention anything about- well. Us. Just you guys."

"...He probably doesn't know we exist." Sonic's eyes widened.

"We should use this information to our advantage." Knuckled nodded approvingly. 

"Woah, hold on." Tom raised his voice, crossed his arms, and looked down at his three kids. "That is a lot of danger you're willingly putting yourself into."

"What choice do we have, dad?" Sonic asked him. "You heard Eggman! If we don't do something their Tails is toast!"

"He wouldn’t do such a thing... right?" Maddie turned to their guests. Blue cleared his throat. 

"See?"

"But if he finds out there are two of each of you... won't he just go after you guys, then?" Amy softly asked, finally lowering her hammer so it rested on the ground. "What if he comes to your house to steal your Master Emerald while we try to rescue Tails? Or what if takes his anger out of him, knowing he would be 'replaceable' now?"

"...The hedgehog has a point." Knuckles sighed. "We can not reveal ourselves without there being a chance of it hurting the fox."

"Who says he has to know there are two of us?" Sonic sped up so he could wrap his arm around Blue's shoulders, and grinned. "We always run so fast it looks like there are two of us anyway! It works out!"

"Not all of us have superspeed, Sonic." Tails sighed. "And if it's me who is the problem..." 

"What about us?" Knuckles pointed between himself and his counterpart. Red huffed.

"Easy. You stay here, I go rescue Tails!"

"Not so fast, Knux." Blue placed a hand on his shoulder. "They don't know what our Eggman is like... if we leave them here without any defense... and he manages to find them..." 

He didn't need to finish his sentence. The echidna's expression crumbled.

"...You're asking a lot of me, Sonic."

"I know, I know, I owe you one." He sighed. "But these guys need someone here to defend them just in case..."

A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two before Red sighed, accepting his fate... and turned to Knuckles. "If it's acceptable... switch places with me."

"What?" Knuckles looked confused.

"Go with Sonic and Amy, pretending to be me." The older one insisted, nodding toward his friends. "I know you can defend your family, no doubt about that- but you've seen how different we've all been until now. If our Eggman is just as different as yours... you wouldn't know how to fight him, should he find this place." 

"...So you want me to pretend to be you... so that the doctor doesn't find out there are two of each of us?"

A nod. 

"...Very well. You, Tails, mother, and the Lord of Donuts will stay here." Knuckles nodded in agreement.

"No, hold on." Tom cut in. "I'm coming with you, kiddo."

"Dad-" Sonic looked hesitant, but Amy already shook her head.

"Mister Wachowski... your family has already done so much for us. We couldn't possibly ask you to put your life in danger simply because-"

"Hey." The human knelt so he could meet the pink hedgehog at eye level, and smiled. "I'm a cop, remember? I know how to defend myself."

"You spent your days talking to donuts-"

"Not relevant. I'm not gonna leave a bunch of kids, let alone my kids with a bunch of danger." He patted her shoulder, then got up. Amy looked stunned. 

"But." he also added. "We are not going without a plan."

"...I think I might have an idea." All eyes were on Tails again as he spoke up, looking straight at Blue. "How well would you say you know Eggman's base?"

"..." Blue grinned at him. "Hm... considering I spent six months in there... pretty well."

"Excuse me?" Maddie looked down with disbelief. Blue ignored her surprise. 

"Cool." The fox nodded. "How many entrances would you say there are?"

Chapter Text

"Let's go over the plan one more time," 

Blue spoke, in the back seat of the car. Tom was the one driving, and Sonic was on the front. Knuckles and Amy were in the back with Blue, the two hedgehogs holding onto each other's hands tightly. 

"I and Amy will distract him?" Sonic still sounded nervous about the whole thing. He didn't know this man or his tech, and how did they expect Sonic to act like Blue? They were the same person, but their personalities were completely different!

"I'll take the lead, don't worry." Amy looked out the window, her expression stoic. "Just make sure to look angry and not let him catch you- I'll do the rest." 

"Then I, Lord of Donuts, and Blue will sneak in from the back?" Knuckles huffed, crossing his arms. "And you are sure there are no eyes that would see us from places we wouldn't want them to?" 

"Eggman is smart- but the building does have a blind spot." Blue sighed, trying to remember it more clearly. "There is this spot in the back, behind a bunch of smaller buildings he uses to store his spare parts. Cameras are missing." 

"You don't have to worry about that, Soni- Blue will guide you." The pink hedgehog nodded, taking in a sharp breath when the car stopped. "...I and Sonic will use rings to escape once you find him?"

"Those are on me." Sonic reached for his pouch, and handed a couple over to Tom, then to Knuckles. After some hesitation, he handed two over to Blue too, just in case. 

"We'll ping you," Blue promised, finally letting go of Amy and getting out of the car. The pink hedgehog immediately reached for her hammer and squeezed it. "All you gotta do is keep his attention. Think you can do that, mini-me?"

"Will insults do?"

"Call him an egghead." The two smirked at each other and nodded. 

Tom looked around the area, his hands on his hips. He looked disapprovingly at the building ahead, even more, concerned with the fact it would be his son entertaining the doctor. They couldn't leave Tails in there, he knew that- but surely there must be some other way? This felt... way too risky. 

"Donut Lord?" He looked down at his son's call. He was bouncing on his heels, hands folded in front of him. Amy was waiting behind him, her way-too-heavy hammer resting on her shoulders.

Right. They had to part now.

"Be careful out there." He warned, kneeling to hug him- but Sonic grinned, shook his head, and held out his fist.

"I'm too great for Eggman to capture me." He promised with a wink. The human rolled his eyes, then bumped his fist against Sonic's in return.

"Do not worry. We shall restore honor to the fox, and defeat the enemy with an iron fist!" Knuckles grinned, bumping his fists together, while Sonic groaned, and covered his face.

"That's not how the saying goes, Knuckles." 

Blue just patted his shoulder. "You got this, mini-me." He whispered, then took Tom and Knuckles' hands. 

"Be safe out THEEEERE-" Tom never got to finish his sentence as Blue sped off, dragging the two with him. Amy snorted, then tilted her head.

"Come on." 

"I still don't know how I'm supposed to act."

"Just be yourself!" She swung her hammer into the air, her eyes twitching. "Only more angry."

"...Angry." Yeah, anger was not his style. "Got it... and what if he tries to take the 'emerald'?" Nervously, he looked at the green-painted rock he was holding. It... looked real enough. "And what if he tries to use his emeralds on us? The same way he did to you?"

"He won't." She spied at the entrance. She didn't explain, didn't talk- nothing. She just screamed, launched herself out of her hiding place, and smashed the first robot she could reach.

"Just like that-?!" He spin-dashed into another at once, looking wide-eyed. "Why would you do that?!"

"They took your little brother! Kill that beast!"

Sonic paled when multiple lasers from all directions were pointed at him. "...You sure?"

"HAAAAAAAAAA-"

"I guess you are!" Okay, Sonic. Fight them. Run.

So, he did. 

He started to spindash once more, bouncing from one robot to the other, knocking them down and making sure they wouldn't get up again. Huh... fighting these robots wasn't that different from his own.

"You're a natural!" Amy praised, smiling with happy eyes and spinning in a circle- her hammer held out at arm's length, smashing any robot that came too near. 

"This doesn't bother you? Not at all?" The blue hedgehog frowned, before deciding he should probably yell, and raised his voice. "Hey! Egghead! Your precious tech doesn't stand a chance against me, you know that?!"

He got no reaction. 

No lasers, no groan, no laugh- nothing.

He shuddered but continued anyway. "Is that why they're called egg bots? Because they're as fragile as eggs?"

Spin. Run. Break. Spin. Run. Break. That was the cycle the blue hedgehog found himself in as time went on, throwing some comments here and there- but everything stayed the same.

"I know you're in there, Eggman! Where is he?!" Did that sound angry enough? He hoped so. Wait... was he supposed to act as angry as Blue when he was home-? No, no, that was too much, right?

Didn't matter. He didn't get a reaction either way.

Odd... "He wouldn’t waste this many bots on purpose, would he?"

Amy looked just as worried herself, spindashing into a bee-bot, stopping the spin mid-air to raise her hammer and smash it into another bot on the ground. She was looking around, eyes wide. "This isn't right. I don't like it."

"He didn't even try to grab the emerald yet." Trying to gain the doctor's attention, Sonic jumped, and span the tip of the fake emerald on his finger. Immediately, all focus was on him. 

"What are you doing?!" The girl hysterically asked, turning sharply and holding onto her hammer for dear life. Sonic looked panicked as he sped off, running in circles all over with a trail of robots behind him.

"What you wanted me to! Gain their attention!"

"I said distract them!"

So it was confirmed.

All versions of Sonic were idiots.

Sonic himself? Oh, he took the cake. A moron, a self-sacrificial, stupid, stupid idiot, who didn't think any of his actions through but didn't care as long as he kept his friends safe. 

Shadow and Silver? Okay, they weren't versions of Sonic but they were so alike- that people often mistook them for brothers. Shadow would look offended each time, Sonic teasing and Silver squealing. But it didn't change the facts- self-sacrificial idiots, all of them.

But this Sonic.

Oh, this one.

A little kid who clearly had no idea what Eggman was capable of- which Amy didn't blame him for. He had only faced the man twice, while she and the others had a lifetime of battles under their belts. They knew his moves, his plans, his mind-

But still.

He didn't think.

This is how she was left chasing a hedgehog she would never be able to catch up with, along with a swarm of robots that were after the 'emerald' in his possession.

Stupid, idiotic-

"Did you even think before you acted?!" She yelled, making her hammer fold into her pocket-  thank you, Tails- before jumping up and spindashing again, managing to take out three bots before she ended up on the head of one. She struggled to keep her balance but held her head high and arms spread, determined. 

Time to be reckless. 

Look at what you're making me do, Sonic.

Yet she loved him anyway. Why? Who knows. She certainly didn't.

"Okay, Rose... you can do it..." Bracing herself, she jumped on a bot in front of her, almost falling off but managing to keep her balance. She did fall, however, when Sonic turned, causing Eggman's army to follow suit. She screamed, spinning back and back, but managed to hold onto the arm of one at the end. "Sonic!" She yelled angrily, struggling to get back on top.

No really, remind her why she loved this moron? 

"First you ruin Tails, then Knuckles, then your freaking counterpart-" she was grumbling under her breath, not wasting a second and trying to get to the young hedgehog the moment she was able to stand. "Who's next? Silver? Cream? Cause I will kill you if you do." 

She got cut off when the robots made another sharp turn- but this time on their own accord instead of following the blue streak. Odd...

She managed to get close, close enough to be able to be heard and see the streak of blue ahead- along with the giant robot hidden behind the building, exactly where Sonic was headed. Which he didn't see, somehow. Of course, he didn't. Why would he? He never does. 

Her eyes widened.

Oh... Oh.

Oh that son of a- 

"Sonic!" She screamed as loudly as she could, realizing with horror that despite her efforts, she wouldn't be able to get to him. "It's a trap!"

"What-?" He turned around. Big mistake.

"You idiot-"

She got cut off as the mech appeared out of nowhere, grabbing him by his middle with one arm, and easily lifting him. The other jumped, hammer raised at once and prepared to make all hell break loose. "Let him go!"

"Hey! We can talk about this?" The blue hedgehog giggled nervously, struggling to get free. Paling when the robot pulled its other arm away so it was pointed at his head, revealing a laser.

Amy froze. Slowly, its head turned to her, then nodded at her hammer. After a moment of hesitation, she sighed with defeat and dropped it. "Okay."

"Amy, no!" Sonic watched with horror as another robot came in their direction, and grabbed her with one hand, her weapon with the other. Still, she showed attitude and glared.

"You don't have to hold me so tight." 

The only response she got was being squeezed.

The younger one was speechless, blinking rapidly to make sure he saw that right. This... this is. Amy didn't even hesitate before she surrendered herself, even if she didn't look happy about it. "What are you doing?!"

"Keeping you alive." She spat back, groaning. Growling when the bot who held Sonic dared to turn her direction. "Oh, you just wait."

"Let her go, it's me you want!"

They didn't listen. Instead, all of the mechs calmed down and started making their way inside the unfamiliar building. If he could have rolled, he would. "...Ahaha."

"So much for a plan." The pink one was still angry it seemed, not even looking around. "We'll never get Tails out now." 

"My co- the others are still in the building?"

"We're doomed." 

The inside of the tower was surprisingly white. 

Sonic always thought that the lairs of supervillains were supposed to be dark, rusty, and old- but this building was white. Some rooms were dark, from what he managed to see, but most of the inside was grey- some spots even white. There was a group of robots following them, making sure they couldn't escape. One of them had taken the 'emerald' out of his hands. 

It would only be a matter of time before they found out it was a dupe.

The emerald was supposed to be a distraction, not Sonic himself. The hedgehog grumbled, his feet itching to tap on the floor- a habit he had sadly picked up from his counterpart, in the last couple of weeks. They never told him Eggman was this straightforward. He had expected a chase when he showed off the gem, not immediately getting captured. That's how his version of the doctor worked anyway. 

"Where are they taking us?" He asked Amy, who was just glaring ahead. She didn't even look surprised or worried. Just annoyed.

"It didn't even take you ten minutes."

"How was I supposed to know he would react like that?!"

"Didn't you fight him?" 

"Not like that!"

The robots finally came to a halt... in front of a row of cages. Unlike the cages on earth, these were closed off with a forcefield, controlled by a control pad from the outside... Sonic gulped. 

"Oh..." 

"This again?" The other looked more bummed out than anything. 

"Yes, yes, sorry, hold on!" A panicked, robotic voice sounded from the other end of the hall, followed by a crashing sound.

"We're there in a minute!"

How did robots sound panicked? 

The hedgehog wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond when two, small robots floated inside, their blue eyes looking worried. They both had a human-like body made out of lines, but without any legs- one had more circle shapes and red, while the other had rectangle shapes and was yellow. He didn't know how their robotic face could express so much emotion- wasn't that impossible? 

"Really, you got late this time!" The red one complained, floating over to the control pad and putting their hand on top of it. Their hand was scanned, they pressed some buttons, and the forcefield faded away. Sonic and Amy were thrown into the cage, his pouch with rings getting loose and dropping on the ground. Yet before Sonic could react, he was shocked- literally, and screamed. 

Amy looked horrified and turned at the yellow one. "What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry! We just need to make sure you won't run away!" The yellow one looked sorry, then looked at the ground. His expression shifted, no thought behind those eyes as he reached down, and grabbed the small pouch. "What is that?"

The red one activated the shields once more, trapping them. Sonic got up from the ground, groaning, and stared at the two with confusion. "Who..."

"Orbot and Cubot." She quickly whispered to him, then got up and reached for her hammer- only to remember she didn't have it on her. "What did you do with Tails? Where is he?!"

"Ah-ah-ah." The red one- Orbot, shook his head and hands, blinking. "I'm afraid Doctor Robotnik has not permitted us to share any information. We are not permitted to do much at all..."

"We are allowed to turn on the microwave!" Cubot happily added. His companion looked done. 

"...What-?"

"No." Orbot grabbed Cubot before he could say anything else, dragging him out. "Not to worry. Doctor Robotnik will be here shortly." 

"That's a good thing?" 

He got no answer. The door was closed without a word. Those two had looked different than the other robots they had seen. Confused, he turned to Amy. She didn't say anything. 

"...Well." The hedgehog grinned, got up, and stretched his arms, then reached for the shields. "As fun as this was-"

"No!" Immediately, Amy pulled him back. "Those forcefields are charged with electricity! Plus he has the emeralds now, we don't know if he's using them to power it! The shock that would go through you would kill you!"

".....No touching the shields." He sighed. "Got it." 

Then, he smirked, and reached for his pouc- where was his bag?

His smile froze in place as he couldn't feel it, looking down at his body. It... it was gone? What?! Where did it go?! "Where are my rings?!"

The other just groaned. "Of course." 

"I just had them!" Sonic looked around, but he didn’t see his bag anywhere in the cell, or out. As if they had evaporated. Did the robots take them? No, they took the fake emerald, but not his rings. Would they even know what his rings were? 

"And we're stuck. Cause of course we are." The girl sat down on the ground with her arms crossed, grumbling to herself. Before her expression softened. "And we even had a plan..." 

"..." Sonic looked out, too. "Hey. Other me, Dad, and Knuckles are still out there. They got this."

"You got locked in here for six months. What do you expect him to do?"

"..." he looked away with shame- and slight fear. They... surely they wouldn't be locked in here for that long, would they? "...How did that even happen?"

"Same way you and I are here. The same way he got himself shot and dragged here." She curled up. "...The same way he got us trapped."

"..." Sonic, unable to sit still, walked around the cage, trying to look for something, anything. "If you hate him so much, then why do you even still hang around? No one is making you stay."

"Why do you think your parents and brothers stuck around?" Despite her annoyance, Sonic realized- she wasn't angry. Annoyed, yes, but not angry. In fact... she even smiled again. "He's stupid, we all know that. But that doesn't mean I don't love him, Sonic. He means everything to me... even if he drives me crazy to no end." Her smile fell, and the softness was gone- her earlier mood back. "That's what you do when you love someone. You don't leave them behind." 

"...Huh." he looked ahead. And blinked. Snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a door-

"Really?" Amy didn't even look surprised. Blue was struggling and hissing, kicking his legs around while Knuckles looked done with life, and Tom was ashamed. 

"The giant stepped on a trap even though I told him it was right there!"

"You were about to get decapitated, I was saving you!"

"How did you even get out?" Orbot and Cubot were inspecting the hedgehog, then turned towards the cage. "We made sure to-"

Their sensors fell on Sonic. And their speech was paused. They stared at Sonic for a good minute, then turned to Blue. Then Sonic again. Blue again. 

"Sonic? Sonic?" Cubot was looking rapidly between them, pointing at them both and repeating his name each time. Orbot looked surprised- how did he look surprised he was a robot?

"...Huh." Then, he turned to his yellow companion, and- slapped him. The yellow one spun from the force but seemed like himself again. Then grinned.

"Ohohoho... Doctor Robotnik will love this!"

"I'm certain he will." A big mech behind the smaller bots stepped forward and held out its hand. Static spiked between its fingers.

"Move and he'll get it." The robot pointed its fingers at Tom, who stopped breathing.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Panic crept up his heart and Sonic shot up, looking desperate. He had no idea if that electricity was charged with any of the emeralds Eggman had stored, and he didn't want to find out. 

Cubot looked apologetic, even more so when Blue was shocked- Amy looked away, while Knuckles freaked out.

"What are you doing with the hedgehog?!"

Both Mobians were thrown in. The human remained outside as the shields closed again.

"Really sorry." The yellow one apologized, wringing his hands together. "We really gotta... what do we do with him?" They both turned to Tom, who was trying his best not to breathe. "Doctor Robotnik only said to capture Sonic and his friends..."

"We should ask the doctor ourselves." Orbot seemed satisfied with that decision, and the man was lifted at once.

"No- Dad! Let him go!" 

Knuckles looked mortified, before turning to the duo. "You- you dishonorable creatures! Unhand our father at once!"

Well. If there hadn't been what Tom was sure was some sort of powerful tazer pointed at his head, the man would have teared up hearing that simple word. But instead, he felt himself being dragged away- not resisting as the maniac had his sons.

They better not have hurt the other kid.

"Dad!" Electricity spiked between his quills again.

Sensing his little brother was on the verge of panic, the older one turned and squeezed his shoulders. Blue seemed to realize too, and immediately reached for his hand.

"Tap it out." He instructed a single finger gently tapping on his hand. Sonic took a shaky breath but nodded, and did as he asked. His counterpart smiled. "Good." 

"Doctor Robotnik will be here shortly," Orbot repeated, he and Cubot exiting the room once more. Knuckles growled at both of them, then turned his attention back to his brother. 

"He wouldn’t hurt him." Blue was quick to reassure, looking as serious as he possibly could. "He may not like us Mobians, but that's a human. Who knows how long it's been since he saw one last? Eggman won't hurt him." 

"If he was willing to hurt a child, I beg to differ."

The older one glared daggers at him. Sonic's tapping got worse.

"You two don't have any rings left?" Amy got up.

"Knuckles used him when trying to help Tom dodge... and I dropped mine." Blue smiled sheepishly. His girlfriend groaned.

"I'm sorry, they're small! I fully expected it to evaporate!"

"Father still has his." The echidna mumbled, finally letting go of Sonic. "I think he was saving it for once we find the fox. You two don't have any rings?"

"Mine disappeared..."

"Pretty sure Orbot and Cubot took them." 

"Those two?" Blue didn't look like he believed it. "You sure?"

Amy didn't look like she believed it either, even though she witnessed it, and shrugged. "Eggman probably finally upgraded them."

"Doubt it."

"Isn't there any way out of this cell?" Sonic was slightly calmer, pulling away to look at his counterpart. "You said you've been locked here before. Don't you know how to get out?"

"Where is the fun in that?" Blue laughed. His feet tapped the floor multiple times, impatient- worried?

But just before the hedgehog could point that out, the door was opened again. His heart jumped, and he smiled, hoping to see their father.

The little fox he saw being dragged inside had not been the person he had been expecting. 

The rest turned around too, freezing at the sight. Amy covered her mouth while Knuckles took a step back, For a moment having thought that was his brother before remembering the reason they were here to begin with. "...Oh." 

"What did you do with him?!" The girl demanded to know, stepping forward. Sonic took a glance at Blue, who seemed frozen- the only signs of life being the rapid tapping of his foot.

Both his arms were taken by one bot each, his legs dragging on the floor- he was being dragged inside. His head hung low, his eyes invisible thanks to his bangs. Both his tails were pressed together tightly- Sonic did not like the faint, red spots on them. They shouldn't be wrapped together. They shouldn't be so still. "...What did you do?"

These robots didn't seem to have a conscious mind, unlike Orbot and Cubot. They just dragged the fox inside, closed the automatic doors behind them, and waited. The kit didn't move, didn't look up, barely breathed. It sent shivers down his spine. 

"Tails!" Blue almost touched the forcefield, pulled back by Amy again, looking worried out of his mind. "Tails, buddy- hey!"

No response. 

The doors opened again- Sonic was really starting to hate that sound as Cubot floated back, looking between the group and their captive. He looked pleased. 

"You didn't duplicate! Great!"

"What. Did you. Do." The older brother glared daggers at the mech, who didn't grant him a response. Instead, he motioned the two robots to bring the fox over, until they were just in front of the cage.

"See? Doctor Robotnik told you he would Sonic!" Cubot cheerfully said, grinning- Seriously Sonic was starting to freak out, how was a robot this expressive-? And held out his hand towards the cage. "He even found two of them! Can you believe it?" 

Blue and Knuckles both growled, their eyes narrowed. From this close, they could see his fur looked damp- covered in sweat-? But why? The place was cold. Really cold, in fact. 

"And now he finally has the emerald too! Everything will be great!" The robot spun around, excited. "Sonic is gone, Doctor Robotnik has all the emeralds- and a whole new world to explore! What do you have to say to that, Mr. Fox?" 

With that last sentence, he leaned down right in front of his face, waiting. For a moment, Tails said nothing. Didn't even face him. 

Until he grinned. 

"Thank you." 

And before anyone could even blink, Cubot was kicked hard.

From how close they had been to the cage, he was sent flying into the forcefield, 'screaming' and glitching as all his systems overheated with all the electricity shocked into his software, then shut down altogether. The blue light in his eyes went out, and the robot collapsed to the ground. 

"Bzzt?" Both robot heads turned to Tails, who wasted no time. He pulled the one on his right close before kicking it, just hard enough to get his arm free. The moment he did, he slipped something out of his glove and turned- stapping the screen of the other one with the object. 

It let go, grabbing at its face but was knocked down when the fox swiped its feet using his tail, then turned to the one he had left earlier, and repeated his earlier action. In the end, all three bots were down, the fox's expression stern- a screwdriver with Eggman's symbol on it in his hand.

Each stared at him, flabbergasted. 

Tails turned to them- and his expression brightened up when he saw Sonic- only to fall a couple of seconds later. He seemed to think about something... then pointed his screwdriver at them, as if holding a weapon.

"How do I know you're really Sonic and not Metal pretending to be Sonic?" He asked, eyes narrowed. Which in turn caused the hedgehog to turn to his counterpart.

"Why does everyone ask you that?" 

"Eggman made him pretend to be me on multiple occasions." Blue's voice had softened up, eyes shiny and earlier anger was forgotten- he smiled gently. "How do you want me to prove that, bud?" 

"...Hm." he paused. Thinking. Tails seemed to think of an idea- one he clearly didn't like, but then sighed with defeat, and faced the Mobians again.

"Alright then." He spoke, crossing his arms. "Answer this. If you really are Sonic... what is my real name?" 

Amy looked surprised. "...Tails is not his name?" 

"No, it's a nickname." Blue looked shocked too, then asked carefully. "Buddy, are you sure?" 

"Just answer it."

All eyes turned to the hero, who looked uncomfortable and worried. But then he sighed and answered. "...Miles Prower." 

"...Ugh." the fox cringed. "You are Sonic."

One beat.

Two beats.

Three.

Then he went stiff- and brightened up, his tails trying to wag behind him but unable to do so comfortably, and his voice much happier than before, "You are Sonic!"

"Hey, little buddy." Blue's voice was way softer than Sonic had ever heard, even more shocked to see tears in his eyes. 

"Oh, darling." Amy blew him a kiss and waved. Having found a new determination, Tails nodded and ran over then forced his screwdriver into the edge between the wall and keypad, pulling the entire thing out.

"I'll have you guys out in no time, don't worry!"

"No doubt about it, kit." From this new angle, they were able to see his tails much clearer. Wrapped around each other- one an odd color, both seemingly wrapped around each other- and something else. The older brother's smile fell. "...What happened to you? Your tails? Kid, your  head."

"Plane crash." The fox waved him off, pulling out a couple of wires, and reconnecting a blue and red one. "I'll live."

"That's not good, Tails."

"You jump out of planes all the time!"

"..." shooting him an accusing look, Amy crossed her arms. Blue gulped. Then, the pink one turned to Sonic and Knuckles. "You two better not be like him."

"Yes, ma'am." Sonic saluted her. 

"Speaking off...." Tails paused. "...Why are there two of you?"

"Remember your multiverse theory?"

"...No. Way!" It was almost as if stars were dancing around him, and his tails twitched again- which caused his excitement to die down, and wince. "...Ah."

Blue's expression darkened. Sonic immediately jumped into action. "Mom will check it out once we're back, don't worry." 

"Mom?" The stars turned into question marks.

"We have parents here, bud." The smile was back- showmen, reassuring- fake. "Turns out you and I only met a couple of months back. This is not our Knuckles, even!"

"It is nice to finally meet you, young one." The echidna nodded his head. The fox waved in return.

"And Knuckles is okay?"

"He's fine."

"....Miles Prower...." Amy still seemed hung on the name, mumbling. "Why would you not tell us, Tails- Miles? It's lovely!"

"Don't call me that." He looked annoyed, and shuddered- oh that was a look of pain Sonic knew too well. 

"Miles Prower... Miles... per hour-?"

"Shut." 

Amy couldn't keep the smile off her face and tried her best not to giggle. The youngest just rolled his eyes, not even reacting when electricity shot up his fingertips.

"The emerald." Knuckles hadn't been able to think about anything else- and as glad as he was that his little brother's counterpart was alright, he was still worried. "Where is-"

"It's safe." He cheered once he managed to get part of the security down. "I wasn't about to let myself get captured with the emerald in obvious sight."

That sentence made them freeze. "...Let yourself get captured?"

"Well, yeah." The fox shrugged. "Sonic, I've spent my entire life following you. I know your thoughts, your patterns- you hate water, so I knew not to go near the rivers. You avoid the open, so I avoided towns and crowds. You like to stick near a forest or a cave- close to town but not quite so you can get food or materials whenever you need. I searched. I couldn't find you. I don't know this world, and I don't have my tech- I was limited. I did, however, come across one of Eggman's bots."

The fox smirked, even more so when he managed to get another wire loose. "That guy follows you everywhere! No matter where you go, he is there! I knew that if anyone would be able to find you, it would be Eggman!"

"..." Blue covered his mouth, laughing quietly. His shoulders shook.

"Don't be proud of him!" Amy slapped him.

Meanwhile, the other two brothers looked horrified. They had heard stories the hedgehog had shared before, unaware of how dark they sounded. His captivity. Everyone's fear of 'Metal'. The list of injuries. The news articles. The crash the doctor had caused. 

And now he was-

"There!" there was a clicking sound as Tails managed to break through. The forcefield started fading away from the top- way too slow for his liking. He frowned. "...Damn it."

"Who thought you that?!"

"He has the right to curse, Ames."

"He is eight!"

"He got locked in here."

"Exactly! I had to endure Eggman's terrible fashion sense. The torture."

"..." Both brothers burst out laughing once they saw Amy's face. She looked done.

Unsure of what to do or say, Sonic and Knuckles just stood there. Until the red one remembered. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen another human on your way here, have you?"

"Huh?"

"Ah- right." He snapped out of it. No time for jokes. Blue had to be serious again." "Their father- his name is Tom, I'll explain everything later- Eggy took him. Did you see any human screaming around?"

"No." The fox thought, his ears going down as he tried to remember anything he could from the days he had spent here. "...But, I'm sure Eggman would wanna speak with him himself. I don't know if he ever met another human before, but it's definitely been a while."

"Wouldn't he wanna speak with you, first?" Sonic asked his counterpart. He looked grim. 

"Not so sure... this is new." 

"But what about the fake emerald he stole from us?" The pink one looked just as lost, crossing her arms again. "Ugh." 

They, thankfully, sadly, didn't need to ponder about it anymore. As alarms suddenly sounded, lights flashed red, and security came to life.

The Mobians paled on the spot, wildly looking around. "What is happening?!" 

"Loud..." Sonic winced. Heartbreaking when the fox cried out, quickly covering his ears. Right. Sensitive hearing.

"They must have... hhgg. noticed that." He pointed at Cubot with his elbow, cursing at himself. Of course, the robot had a security protocol. How did he not think of that himself?

"So they're gonna search for you, now?"

"And see that?" Sonic's voice raised in alarm as he stared at the still-disintegrating shield. God, it went so slowly.

"Not on my watch." The kit found his earlier bravery again and removed his hands from his ears. Then, he got up, holding his screwdriver tightly as he started walking towards the door.

"Tails- Tails what are you doing?" Amy sounded alarmed.

The fox giggled, then turned around to wink. "Leading by example."

"Tails." Blue's voice was warning. 

Instead of answering, the fox turned so he wasn't facing them, stretching his arms. "I mean, Sonic does this stuff all the time, so surely I can..."

"Miles." 

"You make sure he stays alive?" With that, he opened the door, grabbed his screwdriver- and slammed it into the wall, causing a crack. Multiple robotic eyes they couldn't see turned to him, which caused Tails to take his chance- scream, and yell as he ran the other way. "Don't worry Sonic, I'll find you!"

"Tails!" Amy looked mortified.

"Did he just-?!" Sonic turned to his counterpart... who looked livid.

"Miles Tails Prower, get back here this instant!" he yelled after him- Wow, Sonic was getting whiplash from how much he sounded like Tom at that moment.

Not that it mattered.

The fox had left anyway.

Chapter Text

Now... Tom wasn't expecting a lot. 

What could he expect, really? The handful of times he managed to talk with the doctor he had either been screaming or falling. Didn't help that he didn't even know the man- so really, all he could do was... wait.

In the big, empty room.

And the robot, holding a laser to his head.

Great.

At least Blue and Amy were with his kids- the two were reckless, sure, but they at least knew Robotnik and his robots. They knew how to fight him. They shouldn't, but hey, as long as they kept his kids safe he was happy. They would break out, surely. They were smart like that.  

His main concern was the fox. They hadn't seen him anywhere nor had he responded to Blue's screaming before they got captured... 

"Hey!" He huffed when the robot pressed its weapon closer to his head and groaned. "Just because I shift my head slightly doesn't mean I'm trying to escape!"

He wasn't crazy. Nuh-uh. Good thing he was a cop and all but did you see those robots?

Technically, he could escape using his ring now... but he was saving it. Besides, nothing was threatening him or his family at the moment, so Tom was fine with sitting and waiting. 

But dang it was boring.

Why did he always get captured whenever Robotnik was involved? 

He grumbled to himself, taking in everything around him to try and cure his boredom. The walls were... bland. They were just walls, not much interesting going on there. He could see some security cameras as he moved his gaze up, but again, not too interesting. Not even any windows... all there was was a vent in the wall...

...That was making... noises.

Tom had seen enough action movies to know what would happen next. So he looked ahead, trying to keep a straight face as the creaks and cracks increased in volume with every second. The robots didn't seem to notice... maybe they didn't have sound-sensor thingies? Tails would know. 

He could ask the fox soon enough.

It took less than a minute for the vent to burst open, and in a blur of orange, the head of the robot threatening to blow Tom's brains out was on the floor. The body collapsed soon enough.

The second, smaller robot didn't have the time to realize what was happening- it was deactivated in a similar fashion soon enough.

That left Tom alone with a fox-kit that had an almost scary resemblance to his son. 

Blue and Sonic were similar, yes, but they had their differences. Blue had bandages all over his body, was slightly taller and more muscular, and his arms were cream-colored. The same went for Red and Knuckles- Red was smaller, lighter, and had more muscle built up over the years. 

But this kid... looked identical to his own. Maybe he would see more differences once they were side to side-?

"Are you Sonic's dad?" The kit held a... screwdriver? Threateningly towards him, unsure if he was an enemy or ally. The human couldn't blame him.

"Tom Wachowski." He nodded, then smiled. "You must be Tails... your brother talks a lot about you." 

"Such as?"

Okay, he needed proof? That felt... weird. "Well, like how he thought you would love this one show called 'Paw Patrol'. He also mentioned you built his watch, and had many videos of you as a kid, such as when on your birthday-"

"Okay!" The kit screeched, his cheeks turning red as he groaned. "Did he seriously share that?"

Tom snickered- frowning when he spotted his tails. But said nothing of it. "You wouldn't have happened to have found them, would you?"

"They should be free by now." Tails nodded, turning around. "You and I can escape through the vents, Sonic will-"

He stopped. Then looked at Tom, then the vents. "....You will not fit in there." 

He huffed. "Humans are weird."

"Tell me about it." The human reached for the door. "He wouldn’t have any sensors for the doors, would he?"

"Oh, he definitely would." Tails groaned loudly. "I just managed to escape the bee-bots..." 

"Can't you fly over them?"

"Not like this, no..." he looked hesitantly at his tails... but that also meant he was looking at the robots he had just put out of commission. And his face lit up. "I can, however, with the right technique..." 

He didn't say anymore. He grabbed the head of the large one, turned it upside down, and stuffed his hand into the wires. He pulled out a red and blue one, grinning like a maniac.

Oh, he would have fun.

The shield was going down painfully slow.

Sonic didn't know how long it took until they were able to slip through the cracks- he didn't want to know either, but eventually, there was a big enough hole for them to get out of. Blue was the first, zipping through and immediately running into the halls, like an idiot- as Amy followed, whisper-shouting at him to get back. Sonic and Knuckles got out last, unsure if they should follow or stay put. 

Without the other two Mobians, they would get lost, without a doubt.

But Amy was too busy trying to keep Blue alive. As irresponsible as he was being, Sonic kind of understood.

"Well?" His thoughts were cut off when Amy looked back at them, crossing her arms. "What are you waiting for?" 

"But the other Sonic..." Knuckles looked hesitant. The hedgehog rolled her eyes.

"He can drown for all I care." Sonic could tell she didn't mean that... sort of. "How about we find Tom?...or my hammer."

"They put it in that closet thing." Sonic pointed to a closet in a corner, catching her by surprise. "You didn't notice- you were screaming at those robots." 

"...Dear Chaos." The girl grumbled, walking over to grab her hammer out of it- somehow putting it in her pocket. "Sonic is rubbing off on me..." 

"Hey!" Blue's voice surprised them- they had thought he had long run off by now. He hadn't? "Are you three coming or what?"

"I thought you went after Tai- Miles?" Amy asked, surprised that he controlled himself for once. Blue cringed. 

"Tails." He corrected, then groaned. "I did... but I do not feel like getting stuck with a bunch of illusions in here again so please can we go now?"

"Again-?" 

"Let's go!" Amy took both Sonic and Knuckles' hands, dragging them along. "Any idea where he might have gone, Sonic?" 

"Hey hold up!" Sonic pulled his hand away, making the two stop. He took a breath, then asked. "I get that you two can read each other's minds or whatever- but me and Knuckles have questions!"

"We do?" The echidna sounded confused. "The plan sounds simple enough to me: smash the Doctor's head, find the fox and our father. Easy!"

"No." Sonic groaned again. "Having no plan is what got us caught in the first place! Shouldn't we try something this time?" 

"..." the older two looked at each other. All four of them shrieked when they heard explosions from afar out of nowhere.

"Run away" was the first thing the young hedgehog's mind yelled at him, about to go on auto-pilot and run, run, run. He didn't, though. He learned his lesson last time.

Blue, apparently, did not. 

Amy grabbed his hand before he could charge towards the danger. "He has a point, Sonic. Let's stick low for now. Try to understand what is happening."

"...Fine." the hero, albeit begrudgingly, agreed. He hated slow, hated, and she knew that! But fine. He could slow down. For Tails, then. To ensure he wouldn’t get captured again- because he doubted the kit could bust them out a second time. "Amy, take my hand. Other me, grab Knux. We're running." 

"I thought we were-"

"In the shadows." 

Okay. Fine. Sonic hated to say it, but he had to. Blue was right.

Going slow sucked.

Going slow in general was bad, in his opinion, but going slow towards danger, when he could have long been saving Tom or the other Tails by now. He just wanted to go and get over with it. Instead, they were sneaking around like a bunch of children! 

"How much loooonger?" He whined, growing frustrated. Both Amy and Knuckles shushed him. 

"Be quiet!"

"There are explosions all over the place, not like anyone can hear-" 

The walls shook as another boom sounded. Knuckles remained the only one standing, and so, the only one to be able to look ahead- 

"Wow." 

Now that... was a sight. 

There were all sorts of robots in the room- big, small, flying, stuck to the walls, all painted red- all over the place! Eggman himself was there, too- flying in his egg pod, looking frustrated. Against him, stood- sat Tails, sitting on the head of the larger robot they had seen earlier. Beside him, stood a bunch of smaller robots.

All of them had Tails' signature trademark on their razors.

"Really, Eggman, the fact that all I needed was a screwdriver and one of your robots to gain control of all the robots connected to it- it says a lot about your tech." The kit grinned, pointing ahead, using three of the smaller robots to charge forward. They stood no chance, as Eggman had an army of robots double their size, but hey, give him a break. "And I am living for it!"

With a simple signal from the doctor, five more bots came their way.

And all Tails did was grin. 

Now that Knuckles looked better, he saw that the top of the robot's head was open- and the fox was holding the wires in his paws. 

Like a puppeteer playing his puppet... he played. 

With just a simple tug, the robot punched the first mech Eggman had fired at him. The second one, which was trying to sneak up from behind missed as Tails made the robot duck within seconds- causing the second one to hit the third, who hit the second at the same time. The final two took position and fired.

Tails' robot jumped in the air- the first robot it had knocked down, and threw it at their opponents. 

The two were knocked down. 

Both Sonic and Knuckles gaped as the little fox laughed gleefully. The robot he was controlling struck a pose.

One foot forward, one hand in the air to form a peace sign while the other one rested on its hip. "Really, Eggy, you should consider updating your robots!"

"What the-" Robotnik looked offended as he slammed his hands down, and leaned forward. "And what is wrong with my tech?!"

"Well, tech does reflect the maker..." 

"I- What is wrong with me, then?!" 

"Let's see." The fox hummed. "Your mustache is so unkept that your face looks like a farm, you designed all of your bots yet Orbot and Cubot don't know what they're doing half the time, it took you years to capture a bunch of kids and they escaped every single time, it took me less than 10 minutes to hack into one of your biggest robots and use the safe-wall to gain access to every other bot connected to it and all I had was a screwdriver- your enemies call you Eggman and you just went with it- do I need to continue?"

"As if you- I'm sorry, is that coming from you,  Tails?"

"...Touche." the fox slowly clapped. Not realizing Eggman had used his monologue as a distraction, a bunch of his beebots sneaked up from behind.

"Are we still slow?!" 

"Ah-" Amy blinked. "...No-"

That was all Blue needed. 

He sped forward without waiting for any of them, running as fast as his legs would take him, and jumped- spindashing against one of the bee bots, then the other, and the other, and the other-

Sonic watched with amazement. He could barely see his counterpart, all he could see was a streak of blue.

The fox squeaked, turning around sharply but visibly relaxing when he saw his best friend. "Took you long enough."

"HAAAAAAAAA-" Amy launched forward with a battle cry, her hammer ready to smash whoever dared to get close. 

"Come on, brother!" Knuckles grinned, punching one fist into the other. "Let us show the enemy what happens with those who dare to touch any version of the fox!"

"But wait!" The hedgehog quickly took his arm. "Where is-" 

"There!" His brother pointed.

It was hard to see him, as the human seemed to somehow blend with the shadows... slowly climbing on top of the robot Tails threw aside... right behind the-

Tails wasn't just randomly hitting robots left and right. 

"Is he insane?!" Knuckles panicked, as it was his turn now. Sonic cringed.

"Let's go stay close before Donut Lord breaks his neck." 

Blue landed not-so-gracefully, skipping all the snarky remarks as he zipped forward, going straight for Amy. The girl had a knowing look on her face and held out her hand. 

Blue took it.

He started spinning around her, faster, faster, until he deemed the speed fast enough. And let go, launching her forward. Amy was on her tip-toes as she spun at an unnaturally fast speed, her hammer stretched out in front of her- hitting all the robots that tried to hit her, in some way. Blue took on whatever robots she missed. 

"Hey!" Eggman raised his voice. "Those were expensive, mind you!"

"You should wonder how you're about to see stars." Tails waved. Tom took that as his cue, and jumped, punching the man in the face. The doctor cried out, letting go of the controls, and causing his mobile to twist and turn all over. 

"Ugh! You stupid-" Eggman grabbed Tom's arm, and twisted it. The human cringed, not daring to move even as the doctor got in his face. 

"Why would you help those- those pests?" He asked, pointing behind him. "They're unnatural! Dangerous! We are both human, aren't we supposed to be on the same side?"

"Not if it's the wrong one." Tom tried to kick him again, but this time, Robotnik blocked it, his expression dark. He tried again. Blocked. Kick. Block. He didn't let go of Tom's

"I've spent my entire life on that stupid planet." The doctor grumbled, twisting his arm. Tom cried out as pain shot up from his wrist. "You think I don't know self-defense?" 

"Dad!"

"Father!"

Both brothers cried out once they spotted what was happening. Lightening spiked between Sonic's quills as he watched Eggman tower over-

"Use it." Knuckles immediately noticed, dropping the robot he had been holding and running over. He grabbed Sonic's shoulders, shifting his position. "Focus that energy and throw it!"

"Throw?" Sonic hysterically asked. "How?!"

"Watch Blue." The echidna instructed, pointing. Blue was just... running. No, spindashing against anything that dared come close... what was he supposed to see? So he watched more carefully.

He spotted it.

Just before Blue hit his target, he spun in the same place for a couple of seconds, then dashed. As if charging, collecting energy. He saw the electricity and energy increase. 

"Like that." Knuckles patted his shoulders. "Stay in one place, concentrate all of your energy onto your chest- don't block it. Let it flow through you, Sonic."

The hedgehog quickly nodded and curled up into a ball, starting to spin. He had trouble staying in place and felt Knuckles add pressure on his back to ensure he wouldn’t slip. Then, he was picked up.

"Ready, hedgehog?!"

"Always!"

Having his confirmation, Knuckles took a step back, stretched his arms, and threw Sonic as hard as he could. 

The hedgehog spun and spun, crashing right into the egg mobile. 

Both Tom and Robotnik cried out as the force was enough for Eggman to let him go- but for Tom to fall over the edge. Knuckles wasted no time, sprinting over, and catching him.

"Woah-!" Tom grunted when he was caught, looking around in shock. "...Was that new?"

"Very so." Knuckles nodded, setting him down. "Though it appears what you tried was foolish, Father." 

"It looked cool." 

Blue ran around in circles, keeping away everything from the sky, while Amy focused on all the robots on the ground. He span, she smashed. Spin, smash, spin, smash. Tails' main goal was Eggman, having the robot he took over do tricks in different ways to crush the bots Eggman dared to send his way.

The doctor managed to stabilize his eggpod again, gritting his teeth. He looked done. So, so done. Understandably. "You know, I thought no one could be more annoying than the rodent..."

He grumbled, pulling up a capsule that led to a big, red button. "I really, really didn't want to do this... but I'm afraid you've left me no choice."

Tails just looked smug, and turned his head- his smile fell once he saw. "Wait, what are you-"

He pressed the button.

A shockwave went through the building not even a second later. 

Amy yelped when the robots near her started glitching and spasming before it stopped. Their eyes turned a threatening red, and they all faced her. 

Just like when-

She was about to ask what the doctor thought he was doing- but didn't get the chance to. When a haunting scream echoed through the building. Her breath hitched, and she turned around with panic.

Tails was hissing, holding his namesakes tightly in his hands- freezing when he heard a dangerous klick below him. Looking down slowly, he saw the robot staring right at him.

Its eyes very, very red. 

And he paled. "Uhm... hi...?" 

He was grabbed not even a second later. The kit yelled, even more so when he was shaken.

"I'm done with you!" Eggman yelled, huffing madly and pressing buttons on his screens. "If you won't tell me where you out that Emerald, then just get lost!" 

With that, Tails was thrown. He screamed, curling up on himself in mid-air to roll instead of crash on the ground. Uncurling once he stopped spinning, and whined. 

"Hey!" Blue's eye twitched, running towards Eggman. "Don't touch my little brother, you idiot!"

Just as he had been about to reach Eggman, the robot Tails had been controlling earlier jumped in front of him before he could. Behind it, was an army of smaller bots... which rolled towards the big one. Rolling up its body... clicking and expanding-

Blue visibly lost color in his face as he watched the robot double in size, slowly taking a step back. "That's... new..." 

"Tails!" Amy was ignoring her moron of a boyfriend at the moment, trying to reach the fox but unable to fight her way out of the security bots. Knuckles and Tom were closer, so they ran. 

"Let's get you out of here." Tom nodded, reaching for his arm- but Tails stubbornly shook his head, and got up.

"No! Sonic needs my help!" He pushed past both of them, running forward so he could see what was happening.

"Hey, Blue! Why won't you do something?!" Sonic asked hysterically, running in circles to avoid the lasers Eggman was firing at him- for god's sake, he wanted to go. Why couldn't they go already? They had Tails! 

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Blue zipped past him, running up the wall before going crashing down again- but he didn’t even leave a dent in its armor. Instead, he fell but didn't waste a second on the ground, starting to run around again. "This thing is new!"

Amy jumped backward, causing two smaller robots to crash into each other. She spun mid-air and slammed down her hammer on the robot's foot hard. 

Not even a scratch.

Blue took her before it could see where she went.

"Fox, I appreciate your enthusiasm- but Doctor Robotnik will not hesitate to capture you again." Knuckles reached out, but Tails was faster. He stepped forward, one hand reached for his tails, reaching for something as he yelled-

"Sonic!!!"

He pulled his hand away from his namesakes, and they uncurled as he held his arm above his hand-

The green emerald shined brightly, and beautifully, matching the green of the hedgehog's eyes. 

Time paused, for a moment. As everyone's eyes were on the fox kit. 

Blue's face lit up and he smiled, focusing no longer on his opponent but rather on his brother. 

Who took a step back. 

Kneeled.

Prepa-

"Wait, he's gonna throw it?!" Sonic stopped running, out of breath, shocked beyond belief. His counterpart only smirked.

"What did I tell you?" He tilted his head up, eyes squinted, and smiled wide. "Tails never misses!"

His sidekick took that as his cue to run. 

Jumped.

His tails started spinning so he could reach higher as he stretched his arm back-

And threw it. 

It all happened so fast.

The emerald was aimed and thrown.

At the same time, Blue ran forward, already seeing where Tails had intended the gem to land- somewhere easy for him to reach, but where Eggman couldn't. 

He slid under the biggest robot, held his arm forward- 

And caught it.

A burst of light blinded them not even a second later. 

Once they could see again, Blue looked... the same. But with a bit of a closer look, Sonic saw his quills were slightly glowing- was he levitating?

"Yes!" Tails cheered, then yelped as his namesakes didn't want to work with him anymore, and fell. Knuckles was quick to catch him. 

Blue only grinned, winked at his counterpart... and spin-dashed forward, right towards the army of security bots.

Right through them.

A burst of electricity knocked them down the moment they touched.

Seeing that he got it, Amy stopped swinging and instead ran forward to where the Mobians and humans were. "Tails!" She cried out, ripping him out of Knuckles' arms and spinning him around. The kit laughed and hugged her back.

"You're here!"

"You!" Their reunion got cut short when a shadow was cast over them- Eggman was right in front of them... and boy did he look mad. "You're telling me you had it this whole time?!"

"Not my fault you didn't bother to check my 'freaky' tails." The fox threw back, grinning.

Wrong thing to say, apparently. 

Fuming, Eggman snapped his fingers and back came the largest robot facing them again. Tails' smile fell. 

"Crusher." He grumbled, before pointing at the Mobians, and yelling out loud. "Crush them!"

Both Amy and Tails turned serious again- the fox was set down, tails curled back together and his hands held out as fists. Amy held onto her hammer, prepared to fight her way out if she needed to. But still- they both frowned as Sonic stepped forward, not sure if he heard that right.

"You... named it Crusher?"

"What of it, rat?"

"...You do you, my guy." Sonic pushed past the two heroes, looking the robot up and down. "But Crusher? Really? You couldn't name it something cooler- the Boulder. See how that sounds scarier? Or the Iron Fist! It fits it perfectly!"

"It doesn't matter what it's named!" He swung his arms in anger. "Just die already!"

Amy growled, fidgeting with her weapon in one hand. Tails narrowed his eyes, prepared to fight if he had to.

Fortunately, they didn't. 

Blue appeared in a streak out of nowhere- dashing right through the robot's chest.

A hole was left behind.

Eggman's horrified scream was satisfying, at first. Sonic cheered and Tom whooped, Knuckles laughed. "Show him, hedgehog! Punch him to the ground!"

"Wait no!" Tails sounded just as fearful as Eggman had, suddenly pulling Sonic's arms- trying to leave. "Go go go go come on-"

"Wha- why?" 

Blue dashed into its leg this time. Even Eggman stopped trying to save it- instead, he flew, the army of robots fleeing as well.

"That thing is powered by the other emeralds and Sonic is using one right now-" Knuckles' eyes widened in shock at Amy's comment, suddenly understanding their panic and dragging Tom along.

His father looked confused but ran away. "Knuckles?" 

Loud alarms were starting to beep in the background- a warning.

"The emeralds are being used for different purposes against each other- if Blue were to hit the core powered by the emeralds there will be an explosion, at least." 

"Just like when you guys-" Sonic gaped, grabbed Tails' arm with one hand and Amy's with the other- and ran. 

Blue crashed into its head this time. It fell to pieces on the floor. 

Sonic threw the two behind the first wall he could find, then ran back to get his brother and father. He watched, as this time, Blue spin-dashed into its stomach. 

He felt the spike of chaos energy picking up at that moment and ran just a little faster.

Throwing both Tom and Knuckles behind the safety of the wall just to jump right on top of them- 

A loud boom sounded not even a second later.

Tom pulled both his sons into his embrace, turning his back to the door opening and shielding them as best as he could. Fire exploded behind them, bursting and burning bright. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. The fire was blinding and loud. 

After a couple of seconds, the fire died down, the building stopped shaking and their ears started ringing. For a little longer the human held onto the Mobians before he slowly let go. 

Amy let go of the fox, who was sitting on the ground, wide-eyed. He looked pale.

"It... wasn't that strong during the crash..." he mumbled, surprised. He had expected another explosion. But not that bad. 

Amy looked more worried than anything, pushing herself up, tripping, then falling again. She rubbed her ears, groaning. 

Sonic looked at Knuckles, wide-eyed. From the expression on the echidna's face, he hadn't known how strong that blast would have been, either. Without a word, the older left their father's embrace... peaking out the door. 

The inside of the room was wrecked.

The bots that hadn't been able to escape were blasted away and are now unmoving on the floor, glitching and spasming now and then. In the middle of the room, sat the largest robot that had been attacking then... in pieces. The middle was missing. Smoke was rising from its core. 

Blue stood in front of it, quills messed up with scrapes all over, head bent down and panting, the green emerald clenched tightly in his hands. It seemed to glow brighter- shining with life.

"..." The hero looked up slowly. And shook his head.

There was no emerald in the robot. How did Eggman use it to power it, then? How many did he even use?

"...You are one, freaky mystery, pal," He mumbled, holding the emerald at eye level. 

"SOOOOOONIIIIIIC!"

He froze at once- suddenly remembering why they were here, to begin with, and abruptly looked up. Tails was running towards him, his once confident expression replaced by one of fear- grief. Joy.

Without a second thought, Blue threw the emerald on the floor and ran to meet him halfway. "Tails!"

Arms stretched out, he swooped the fox up as soon as he could, hands looping under his armpits and twirling around, then pulling the kit into a crushing hug. One arm wrapped around his back, the other cradling his head as his face was pressed on top of Tails' head. His little brother embraced him back immediately, not caring for the quills as both tails and arms wrapped around him, face squished into his neck. 

"You're here," Blue whispered to himself, then laughed. "You're here!" His joy turned to anger not even a second later. "Why are you here?!"

"You're here." His voice was muffled, but Blue heard it anyway. "So why wouldn’t I be?" 

"Why wouldn’t-" The older one pulled him away, grabbed Tails by his shoulders, and shook him, yelling hysterically. "You crashed your plane! Why did you crash the plane?!"

The kit looked offended at that and huffed. "You jump out of the Tornado all the time! And you can't even fly!"

"That's different!"

"Why?"

"Because jumping and crashing are different!" Blue's voice raised in pitch. But clearly, Tails had something to say. The moment Blue let go, he hit his shoulder- again and again. 

"You stupid rat!" He yelled, ignoring the multiple ows on the other's end. "I thought you died! For real this time!"

"You th- I thought you died!"

"Serves you right for all the heart attacks!"

If he wanted to say something else, he didn't. His angry expression faded into a sad one, the tears he had been holding onto slipping past his cheeks- and immediately flung himself into Blue's embrace. The hedgehog hugged him back, stunned. Walls crumbling down. "Hey... hey, I'm here now." He murmured, holding a bit tighter. He sniffed. "I'm... I'm here now." 

He ignored the footsteps approaching them, walking past them- he didn't need to look. He knew those heavy footsteps. So instead, he focused on the sobbing kit in his arms, pretending he wasn't crying.

Knuckles bent down, picking up the emerald Blue had abandoned, holding it close. He hummed approvingly at the energy he felt it give off and looked up at Tom for approval. His father nodded, reaching into his pocket for the ring.

They could finally go home.

Chapter Text

It was growing late.

With every hour that passed Maddie only grew more worried, glancing at her phone screen ever so often- to check for either a message from her family or Robotnik taking over again. But no. Nothing. Not a peep.

Six P.M. rolled around. Seven... eight... 

Both Red and Tails seemed to get just as restless as she did. Red was patrolling around the house with Ozzie- his 'guard', as he called it, arms crossed and ready punch- he had almost hit Maddie three times- while Tails was trying to fix his Miles Electric again. Maddie herself distracted herself with all kinds of chores- cleaning the kitchen inside-out at least three times, preparing a fourth bed in their guest room so it was ready, cleaning their room even though there was nothing to clean- 

It was around 08:17 P.M. when Tails shouted for them to come back inside. 

Maddie dropped the plate she had been scrubbing agresively, and ran. Red was not too far behind her, looking worried instead of angry for once. 

Tails looked worried out of his mind as he stared at the portal that had opened inside their living room, his namesakes concerningly still. Red jumped in front of him at once and growled, narrowing his eyes. Eggman wouldn’t have found them, would he? 

He relaxed when it was Tom who stepped inside, who was holding a wrongly-twisted right arm.

"Tom!" Maddie cried out with horror, pulling him aside to check it herself out of instinct- before remembering this wasn't a random Mobian she was being presented with, but her husband. "What happened?!"

"This Robotnik is... different." Tom smiled anyway. 

Sonic was the second to step through the portal, a huge grin on his face. He ran towards Maddie once he saw her, and hugged her legs. "Mom! You're okay!"

"I am, Blueberry." Maddie patted his quills, looking at the portal when Amy walked through next. She looked more tired than anything, her quills a mess and her hammer being dragged behind her. Still, she waved.

"Hi, Maddie." 

"Sonic!!!" Tails giggled and ran over, hugging his older brother once their mother let go. Sonic laughed and picked him up.

Knuckles entered the room next, looking amazed as he held the green emerald in his paws. He nodded at Maddie. "Mother." 

The three who had stayed behind stared wide-eyed at the gem. "...What you got there, Knuckles?"

"You mean the portal?" Knuckles turned around with confusion. 

It was that moment Blue finally stepped inside, his little brother on his shoulders, arms curled up on his head, and leaning his full body weight against the older one. His tails were curled into one once more, probably to cover the wounds. 

"Tails!" Red's face lit up as he swooped the fox away- Tails giggled when the older one held him high and grinned.

"Missed me that much?" He purred, eyes half-lidded. "Of course you did. Bet you couldn't even find proper shelter or defense without-" 

Looking around the room, he spotted his counterpart. And shut his mouth with shock. Tails looked awed himself, his namesakes curling up together to mirror the other as he suddenly held onto Sonic much tighter.

"Maddie, Tails, this is-" Blue tried to introduce, but then stopped. Confused, he looked between the two foxes. "Uhm... I guess Yellow?" 

"Yellow?" Yellow snapped out of it for a moment.

"What our counterparts named us." Red shrugged, pointing at himself. "Red. Blue. That makes you Yellow."

"Doesn't he look more orange?" Amy asked, glancing at him.

"Nah." Blue collapsed on the couch face-down. "Yellow works fine."

"...You named yourself... after primary colors." Yellow looked more confused than anything, head slightly tilted to the side. A smaller paw tapping his arm made him look, and the echidna set him down.

"Uhm... hi?" Tails waved uncertainly and held out his hand. "Blue told us a lot about you." 

"I heard." The older fox grumbled unhappily, not wanting to know just how many embarrassing stories his older brother had shared. He bumped Tails' fist and looked behind. Stunned for a moment. "...I've never seen another fox with two tails before." 

Tails flinched at the mention, before realizing what he meant. Slowly, his namesakes uncurled, wagging behind him. "...Me neither." He mumbled, watching with awe as Yellow's tails uncurled too- and immediately winced, making them both rest on the floor. His fur looked messy. And was that blood at the side of his head? 

"Oh-" Maddie looked conflicted between checking out Yellow or taking Tom to the hospital, but the man shook his head, nodding it towards the fox. "Help him first. I can wait."

"...Alright." Maddie quickly walked out to a closet, searching for the first-aid kit. "Set him on the couch." 

"..." Yellow looked at Blue, who nodded. Seeing he got the green light, the fox sat down without a word. The older sitting right in front of him. 

"The me here is a kid." He grinned, even more so at Sonic's offended face. "And so are you and Knuckles. Amy doesn't exist for some reason though." 

"So no girlfriend for you to crush on?" Yellow raised a brow, looking smug at the horrified face his older brother made. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"So it wasn't you who was panicking about what to get for your and Amy's one year-"

"Shut up." The hedgehog curled up. 

"That's what you get for sharing my stories when I wasn't there." Yellow glared at him. Amy looked flattered, walking over to the couch and pressing a kiss on one of the quills. 

As Maddie walked back, Knuckles walked out, saying he was gonna put the emerald with the other one, save and sound. Yellow again looked at Blue, who just nodded.

"...Okay." making her choice, Maddie put two fingers on his wrist first, counting his heartbeat. Finding nothing wrong with it, she started feeling around his body. Yellow winced when she touched the side of his head, and she hummed. "How did you get that wound at the side of your head?"

"Plane crash." The casual way he said it made her falter. Yellow frowned. "...What?" 

"How did you even-" Amy didn't want to finish that thought and whined, sitting behind the fox and hugging him. Yellow looked even more lost at that and patted her arms.

"I had the emerald?" 

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"..." Yellow looked shocked. And slowly turned to Blue. "...You didn't tell them?"

"Tell what?" Now it was Blue's turn to be confused.

Yellow blinked- a look of horror appeared on his face, and he turned to Red. "...You too, Knuckles?" He didn't even react when Maddie started wrapping the side of his head.

Red only narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"...Oh my- are you kidding me?!"

"What?!" Sonic had been about to panic. "Is there something wrong with the emerald? Did the plane damage it?"

"No!" The fox looked like he was about to rip his fur out, turning to both heroes with a shocked and worried expression. "Sonic, Knuckles, the emerald acts on the desire of the user you know that!"

"I-... what?" Tom looked lost... but Tails' entire face lit up.

"I was right?!" He asked with excitement, namesakes wagging and eyes sparkling. 

"Hold on- Yellow, honey, could you explain the way your emerald works for us?" Maddie asked while pointing at his tails. "And hand me those? I saw a nasty-looking cut."

"..." Yellow turned to Blue. He nodded. And the fox turned around without hesitation, holding out his namesakes. Maddie gently patted the fur to try and find the wound back, cringing at the amount of fur that had just fallen off.

"The emerald can only be wielded by those who possess chaos energy. On top of that, unless there is force used, the emerald can only respond to its holder. Which is Sonic." The fox grumbled out, wincing when the human found what she was looking for. "Furthermore- the emerald can act out on its user's desires. So if Sonic wanted me to be protected-"

"-as long as you are the one holding the emerald, it will do just that." Tom's eyes widened. "...It saved you?"

"That does explain your injuries... I expected far worse."

"I'm sorry-? Sonic, I explained this to you that time you almost drowned!" Yellow looked offended, turning around- forgetting Maddie was still busy with his tails. "You thought I was dead?"

"...Sonic." Amy's head was lowered low, her quills covering her eyes. Her tone sounded dangerous as she clenched her fist, sounding like she was about to murder someone. The hedgehog gulped.

"I... uhm..."

"And Knuckles! You guard the emeralds!" The fox cried out, blinking rapidly. "You were the one to teach me about them! How did you not know?"

"I..." If the echidna wasn't red already, he would have turned redder than a tomato. He coughed, covering his mouth and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "...forgot." 

"You... forgot." Amy's tone was low, slowly reaching for her pocket.

"Ames, let's talk about this-"

"You knew... that Tails... most likely survived." She pulled out her hammer, which folded out... was it always so big? "But you... forgot." 

"Hey, don't look at me!" Blue had the audacity, taking a step back and holding his arms out. "I was concussed! I didn't even know!"

"I'm sorry, you thought I was dead- and your first instinct was to ambush the man with all emeralds minus one after bringing you to wacky world?"

"No need to insult earth..." Tom mumbled.

"The hedgehogs here are the size of ants." Yellow winced when he felt a burning sensation on his tail. Maddie apologized. 

"...Just how big are ants on Mobius?!" 

"You two." She clenched her weapon even tighter. Both Blue and Red took another step back. "You. Knew. But you. Forgot?"

"I had a concussion!"

"And you broke your leg." Sonic helpfully added.

"Amy, we were trapped together! And the place exploded because of the emeralds!"

"You two... have three seconds."

"Amy, sweetheart maybe you shouldn't-"

"One." 

"Amy, come on- Tails is alright and that's all that counts-"

"Two." She took a step towards them. They stepped back.

"Amy, please, just think about-"

"Three."

Both Mobians screamed as the pink hedgehog charged at them not even a second later, hammer raised and ready to crush them with it. Sonic yelped, quickly hiding behind Tails before Amy tried to get him as well. Maybe. Who knows? 

Knuckles walked back upstairs- or rather, ran, their screams having alerted him. "What is happening?! Where is the danger?!" He hysterically asked, ready for battle. It took a second when he saw Amy chasing her boyfriend and best friend down the hall. "...Uhm."

"Should we... do something?" Tom sounded lost, turning to his wife. Maddie looked just as lost, but instead put her attention back to Yellow- who just looked unimpressed.

"Amy please just stop!"

"I'LL CRUSH YOU THE SAME WAY MARIO CRUSHES THOSE GOOMBAS AND TURN YOU INTO FUCKING COINS!"

"Can't we just hide the hammer?" Blue asked, staring at the weapon in fear as Knuckles held it. Both he and Red refused to go near such a dangerous tool. Even worse than the emeralds, almost. 

Amy herself had gone to shower, convinced by Maddie that it would hopefully help her calm down. The two other Mobians, however, couldn't rest. Not with danger in every corner.

"Lessons about the emeralds were the first thing I was taught by my tribe." Knuckles mumbled, not listening to either and putting the hammer away on a shelf. "How could you not know the most basic of the lessons?"

"I forgot!" Red defended himself, pointing at Blue. "I lose more brain cells every day I spent with this idiot, she knows that!'

"Hey!" The hedgehog cried out, offended. "Give me some credit!"

"Did you miss the way Tails turned out?"

"I heard that!" Yellow- whose head was now wrapped with bandages, poked his head out of the ceiling- in Sonic and Tails' bedroom with said fox, wanting to see all the weapons he had built. 

The echidna, however, only glared. "You crashed your plane on purpose."

"You jumped out of said plane on more than one occasion!" 

"And who did I learn that from?" 

"Leave me alone." Blue huffed, crossing his arms and impatiently tapping his foot. "I did what I had to do to stop Eggman! Can't blame me for that."

"That is true." Knuckles approved, patting his shoulder.

"...You jumped into a LAKE." 

Knuckles removed his hand. "Excuse me?" 

"Oh, he did!" Yellow cheerfully confirmed as he went back into the room. Tails offered him one of his pajamas- which he gladly took. 

"...I thought you can't swim?" Sonic asked, sitting on his bed but having overheard. From his position in the bedroom, he didn't see the way Blue turned red.

"Oh, he can't." Yellow put the shirt aside, for now. His fur was itchy and uncomfortable. Sonic tried not to look at his now-wrapped tails for too long. "I had to fish him out." 

"I pulled him out too, once or twice... three times..." Red counter, frowning. "Four?" 

"It's not like I was trying to drown on purpose!"

"So you were trying?" Now it was Tails' turn to look down. The hero grumbled.

"No-"

"Let's not forget you managed to turn yourself into a werehog somehow." Red shrugged. Blue glared daggers at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, is that coming from mister I-got-tricked-by-Eggman-and-then-blown-up-on-day-one?

"I didn't know the man!"

"He was all over the news how did you not know?!" 

"Sorry, how are we related again?" Yellow huffed, choosing not to put on the matching pants and folding them up. Tails frowned.

"But... you're not though." 

"Hm... maybe that's a good thing." 

Silence. 

Before Blue suddenly stormed up the stairs, eyes wide. He didn't even bother to get inside the room- he leaned over the floor using his arms and asked with panic. "Who told you that?!"

"That we're not related?" Both foxes looked a bit confused. Yellow crossed his arms, while Tails walked a bit closer. 

"Yeah!" The hero looked horrified, gaze shifting to the floor. "You weren't supposed to find out until you were sixteen! I had this plan and everything!"

"You're not related?" Red sounded shocked from downstairs, as if Tails had just revealed the secrets of Angel Island. Yellow pushed past his older brother to look down, raising an eyebrow.

"Knuckles, I'm a fox." 

"I'm aware."

"He's a hedgehog."

"What does that have to do with anything?" 

"...I." Sonic opened and closed his mouth, unsure if he should say something or not. "That's... not how DNA works." 

"You weren't supposed to know yet!" Blue had crawled inside, miserably laying on the floor on his stomach, distraught. It wasn't the time! He was gonna break it down gently once Yellow was old enough! "And now you feel different and so lost nooooo."

Yellow looked at Blue. Then turned to look at his namesakes, raising them both. Pulling them apart to get a better look, more fur fell out. And turn back to his older brother. "...Sonic." 

"I'm the worst brother eeeeeveeeeer!" 

"Sonic, my last name is Prower."

"You have a last name?!" Now it was Red's turn to burst inside, looking offended. Then, he narrowed his eyes. "What other secrets have you kept from me?!"

"We're not even the same species!"

"So?!"

"...Just wait till he finds out his first name." Tails mumbled. 

"...You know what?" Sonic got up from the bed, all respect for his counterpart gone at this point. Like really? Okay, he wasn't the smartest, he got that, but really? "I'm gonna go hang out downstairs with Donut Lord." 

"Take me with you." Yellow groaned, throwing his head up. Looking down when Blue sniffled. "Sonic, you found me in the woods." 

"...Yeah. I'm. I'm gonna." Tails himself was speechless, not sure if he should find this sweet or sad. The cub pointed towards the hedgehog. "I'm... gonna go."

"Save yourself." Yellow nodded, turning around to follow. Cringing when he stepped in his fur. Tails noticed.

"Would you want my brush?"

"Please." The older fox looked thankful, lightly scratching his side. The ich was becoming unbearable, he couldn't take it. Besides, these people had been kind- he did not feel like coating their entire house in fur on top of that. 

Tails got that feeling. His old home had fur all over the place from the amount of stress he had been in before. And although his comb wasn't needed as many times as before, it was still nice to own one instead of ruining Maddie's. 

He found the brush at the back of his drawer- bright red, with golden accents. "You can just brush here if you want- the room is ruined anyway." He giggled. Yellow smiled too. He stared just a bit too long at his counterpart's tails as he climbed down as well, forcing Red to go down so he could get through. 

...It was nice to know he wasn't the only one with two tails. Even if it was just some other version of him. 

He left his brother to suffer on the floor and sat down on Tails' bed. He pulled his gloves off and started with his arm. And cringed. "...Chaos." 

"..." Blue looked up from the ground. His expression softened. "...You can let your guard down, ya know?"

"What guard?" Yellow was unsure if he shouldn't just go outside. 

"Come on, bud." The hedgehog got up and stretched his arms above his head until he heard them pop. "The sarcasm, the glares, you're only like that with Eggman. You can drop the act now." 

"There's no act." 

"Tails-"

"Really, you're worrying about nothing, I just got some small injuries is-"

"Miles."

He shut up at once. 

"..." Blue sighed, shoulders slumping, and held out his hand. Without daring to look up, Yellow silently handed him the brush. Then, he sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him. 

"Do we really wanna ruin other me's bed?" Yellow mumbled but sat down anyway. Both of his namesakes curled around Blue without hesitation. 

"I'll clean it." The older assured him, pulling the fox so he could lay down in his lap. The younger yelped, but let it happen. Relaxing when he felt the comb on his head, careful of the wound. 

He could feel the way the brush combed down his furr, dematting the yellow and orange. Making him feel lighter. It reminded him of when he was little and didn't know how to take care of his fur himself. So Blue would do it for him. He purred softly at the gentle scratches behind his ears, ignoring the chuckle he received.

"It's okay to be scared, ya know." The brush moved from his head down to his neck and back, but the scratches on his ears stayed. "You're still a kid." 

"Statistically speaking, you are too." He tried to sound annoyed, but Blue couldn't take him seriously as it sounded more like he was purring than talking. 

"There is a difference between fifteen and eight, bud." 

Yellow didn't say anything to that. 

For a while, they sat in comfortable silence. Blue made sure to comb the orange fur with care, at the same time keeping a lookout for injuries Maddie might have missed. The fox sat perfectly still- the hedgehog would have thought that the kit had long fallen asleep, hadn't he been purring.

It wasn't until he started brushing one of his tails that his little brother asked with a sleepy voice. 

"...Sonic?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You didn't really think I didn't know we're not blood, right?" 

Blue snorted. The brush slipped out of his hands as he covered his mouth, struggling to contain his laughter with the way Yellow glared at him. 

Chapter Text

The car ride back home was quiet. 

Maddie was behind the wheel- for her husband was unable to drive at the moment, his arm wrapped in a cast and held up to his chest. It had been difficult to explain how he had broken his arm to the hospital staff, considering they couldn't exactly... explain the fight that had occurred. Tom had almost blown their cover- he really needed to learn how to lie.

"...In my defense." Her husband mumbled into the silence. "I didn't know he could just- twist my arm."

"So you chose to jump into his flying car?" She should be angry, she knew she should be- but Maddie found it funny more than anything. First, he gets chased by the government and is considered a wanted criminal, next he crashes her sister's wedding using a ring- and now this? 

She knew she would deal with accidents and medical check-ups when she married a police officer. But she had assumed those injuries would come from his job.

"Well, it worked!" Tom huffed, turning the tiniest bit red. "...Knuckles caught me before I could fall."

"I don't know if I appreciate our sons getting better at fighting," Maddie said as she looked out the window to make sure the road was clear, then started backing the car slowly so she could park. 

"Just be glad they're not like Blue and his friends... he kept mentioning being 'locked up' for six months." 

"You know how Sonic can't sit still, Tom. It was probably way less... I hope." The duo got out of the car and made sure it was locked before they walked into the house, prepared for questions about Tom's arm or maybe just hugs in general. Instead, the scene they were greeted with made them pause. 

The lights in the living room were turned off, and the credits of the Mario Movie playing on repeat on their TV. All of the kids were in the living room, apparently having fallen asleep- all except for Red, who had the remote in his hands and was scrolling through channels. Huh. He knew how to use the remote. Good to know. 

Blue and Yellow were next to him, curled up together on the couch with the hedgehog having a protective hold on the fox in his lap, almost seeming to curl up. Amy was lying on her side on the other end of the couch, her headband having come loose- causing her quills to get a bit roughed up. Tails was curled up with Ozzie on the floor, while Sonic and Knuckles were passed out in front of the TV. Red seemed to have been the only one to stay awake.

The echidna knew the moment the two humans were in the house, looking up once they set foot in the living room. He sighed. "They fell asleep not too long ago."

"...Thank you, Red." Maddie nodded, cooing and pulling out her phone to take a picture. Once she did and the camera made the snapping sound, Red asked.

"Can you take another?"

"Uhm... why?"

"I wanna draw on So- Blue's face with a Sharpie."

"As fun as that sounds-" Tom quickly chased the idea away. "-you don't wanna wake up Yellow, do you?"

"...I suppose." Red slumped and got a look at Tom's arm. "...Wow. And he told me to stay here!" His volume raised, offended.

In the meantime, Maddie reached down for Sonic, first, carefully cradling him in her arms. She cooed, pressing a kiss on his forehead. "I'm gonna take these guys to their beds."

"All of them?" Tom frowned, looking over the kids on their floor. "...the guest room only has one bed."

"We can stay here no problem, sir," Red bowed his head with respect. "The other me too- I don't think you can lift him. I know my weight." 

"I can get Tails-"

"No." Maddie glared at the man, then tried to pick him up himself. However, trying to lift two children at once was no easy task. Seeing her struggle, Red sighed and rolled his eyes, then got off the couch.

"Let me." He mumbled, snaking his arms under the fox and lifting him up with ease. Maddie smiled thankfully as both of them brought the two back to their room.

Knuckles was the first to wake up the next morning.

Having been living with all of his customs and training his whole life, he used to wake up the moment the sun rose. He didn't do that anymore, however- Maddie had said something about how it was bad he was sleeping so little. Besides, he felt relaxed enough to sleep in now- just a little. Still, he woke up earlier than everyone else.

Or... he thought. 

He was wide awake immediately- old habits die hard. Aware that this wasn't his room or his bed, but the couch. He grumbled quietly, then shifted his head to the side.

Blue, Red, and Amy all were sleeping. Red on the loveseat, Amy and Blue on the other end of the couch, one end each. Amy was curled up, and Blue was hugging a pillow.

There was no sight of the fox. 

Knuckles frowned, quickly scanning the room... he could hear barks and purrs coming from the kitchen. Huh... he got up, following the sound-

"-Perhaps you aren't capable of communicating with words?" He found Yellow, on the kitchen floor, looking lost in thoughts- sitting in front of Ozzie, who growled softly. "Like a flicky... are you a flicky? You're too big to be a flicky... maybe this world's version of Flickies-?" 

"Good morning, Yellow." The fox jumped out of his skin when his thoughts were interrupted, sharply turning to stare at Knuckles with wide eyes. But then he relaxed once he saw who it was.

"Morning," he smiled, then turned back to Ozzie. "Knuckles, what is this?" 

Ah. Just as curious as the little fox he knew. That was nice. And good. It was important to be curious about the world. "This, dear fox... is a dog." He announced, holding his paw out in some sort of "reveal" as he pointed to the animal mentioned. Yellow made an 'ohhh" sound- Knuckles was pretty sure he saw stars in his eyes as he turned to Ozzie. His tails, despite being injured, wagging just the tiniest bit. Indeed a curious one.

"Is this 'dog' like the Flickies on Mobius?" 

"I sadly do not know what a Flicky is. I was raised differently than my counterpart."

"Oh." Yellow frowned. "Like a Chao, then?" 

Chao... yeah, he knew those. "Not... exactly." He mumbled, needing to think about it. Especially in this odd situation... usually, he was the one asking questions because he didn't understand the earth. And Tails- I mean Yellow, of all people? 

However, before he could give a proper answer, Yellow already had lost interest in the question. "Why can't they talk? They make sounds so they have vocal chords. I thought they were like Chao, but Chao just kept saying their own name so I thought maybe they did the same- but this 'dog' makes all sorts of sounds! It sounds similar to fox-"

"-Yellow." The echidna cleared his throat. The fox immediately went red and looked down.

"Ah-... sorry." 

"No, no." The warrior sat down, puffing out his chest as he grinned. He got to teach someone stuff on Earth? That was-... nice! "I would be happy to tell you all about the earth and the creatures- everything I know anyway."

"Really?" his face lit up, namesakes wagging behind him once more. Knuckles nodded.

"Let's start with Ozzie." Both turned back to said dog- who had laid down on his back with his paws in the air for belly rubs. Knuckles, as carefully as he knew how to, pat its stomach. "Once a dog lays down in a position such as now, it means you need to give its belly rubs."

"Huh... does it like them?"

"It appears so. Do not touch his paws, however- I've learned pretty quickly he does not enjoy that."

Yellow observed for a moment. "Hm... so it communicates its wants through behavior?" 

"Once his tail wags, such as now, it means he's happy- kinda like yourself. Mrs. Mother did say foxes and dogs are... family? You would need to ask her." 

"Huh..." The fox leaned forward, taking a better look. They did have a similar body structure, it seemed. "Did Mrs. Maddie and Mr. Tom adopt him?" 

"Not like a child- but yes."

"But... why? Wouldn’t it be better to adopt a human instead?"

"Because, dear Yellow." Knuckles stopped the pets, crossing his arms and looking serious. "Dogs are excellent warriors."

"Really?" He gasped. Knuckles nodded.

"They have a strong bite and razor-sharp claws- ready to attack the enemy on command. Police use them too. They're an excellent defense." 

At that exact moment, Ozzie got up and licked his face. Knuckles was unfazed. "This, Yellow- is a sign that he shall protect you, as well." 

"Woah..." Yellow reached out in awe, giggling when Ozzie immediately licked his fingers. "If he's like foxes, it means his smell is enhanced... so he is marking us as its guard?" 

"Highly possible." 

Everyone decided to sleep in today, it seemed.

Not even Tom or Maddie were awake when Sonic sleepily stumbled down the stairs, quills a mess and rubbing his eye. Oh well. He didn't know why it was fun to be awake in the morning while his parents were sleeping- but it just was! 

He had been fully planning to watch TV on his own, surprised when he found his counterpart and friends on the couch instead. Huh. Since he and Tails had been moved to their rooms in their sleep, he had assumed the others would have been too.

Oh well. He could go for a run then. Sneakily.

The hedgehog giggled and turned to the kitchen for a cup of water first. Soft murmurs alerted him that someone else was inside.

"-which is how the hedgehog managed to break his leg." He heard Knuckles finish, surprised to see Yellow in the room as well. The fox looked concerned, but not surprised.

"I swear..." the kit mumbled, tapping his watch and quickly typing something. "I disappear for a couple of weeks and look what happens- oh! Sonic! Morning!" His face lit up once spotting him, tails immediately reacting by wagging faster.

Sonic snorted, "Hope Knuckles hasn't bored you to death yet?" He sent his older brother a grin. The echidna huffed, crossing his arms.

"I will have you know- I have been teaching the fox some valuable lessons about earth." 

"The herbs here are so different than on Mobius!" Yellow looked excited- probably because he got to learn new stuff, then grumbled. "No wonder I got poisoned the first week here..." 

"..." Sonic opened, then shut his mouth. Yeah. No. He had dealt with Blue and Red enough already, it was too early to add Yellow to the list. "...Yeah. Cool. I'm going on a run." He waved, already walking past them.

"Can I come?" Yellow asked with excitement, looking out the window with longing. Sonic stopped, then turned back with worry.

"With superspeed, Yellow, you can't keep up."

His smile fell at once. "Excuse me?" 

"Well-... superspeed and all..." The hedgehog trailed off, looking at his tails for a moment. "And you're injured too... shouldn't you be taking it easy?"

"I was not your sidekick for four years just to be told I can't keep up." Yellow bit back, getting up properly- for a moment, Sonic thought he struck a nerve. But then his brain processed the playful tease behind his voice. And he realized Yellow didn't mean it in a hurtful way. 

Huh. He even talked the same way Blue did. 

"I know I'm not as fast as the Blue Blurr himself but I like to think I'm decent." The fox stretched. "Besides, I've been inside way too long!"

"Yellow..."

"Please?" He looked at him with puppy eyes, ears lowering. Sonic shook his head.

"No."

"Pleaaaaaase?"

"Tails-"

"Please please please please please please pleas-"

"Okay okay!" he couldn't stand that baby look anymore and had to look away. The eyes fell at once, and the cub cheered, flying to celebrate his victory.

Knuckles, meanwhile, just stood there, confused. "...What form of persuasion was that?"

"That, my friend, is called Youngest Sibling Privileges." The fox winked, lowering himself slowly. "Irresistible to grumpy older bros who think too much. Your me will learn eventually."

"Your logic suggests there are Older Sibling Privileges as well."

"..." Instead of answering, he walked past him. Sonic snorted. "We'll be back in fifteen minutes, yeah?" 

As they walked to the door, Sonic patted Ozzie's head to say bye quickly. Yellow... bowed his head. Ozzie didn't react.

"Thank you, for the protection you've granted us, mighty beast." He said seriously, before standing straight, and walking out the door. Knuckles nodded with approval from behind him. 

"..." Sonic's shoulders were shaking as he tried not to burst out into laughter.

Chapter Text

Yellow was... fast.

When the fox had pleaded to join the run, Sonic, as annoyed as he was about it, had slowed down. After all, Yellow didn't have superspeed of his own and was injured on top of that. So he had run at a pace a bit slower than when he usually jogged with Tails.

Instead of the fox trailing behind him, as he thought, the kit zoomed right past him. 

The hedgehog had been shocked, immediately speeding up to see if he had just put too much energy into the jump, or maybe he was using some sort of machine to keep up- but no. All the fox did was grin at him. "I didn't know you slowed down so much, Sonic!"

And just like that, Sonic stopped caring about whether the fox was keeping up and ran.

To his surprise, Yellow kept up with him. Just barely, but he did. 

"Other me never mentioned you having superspeed!" He called out, yelping when he almost ran into a car. Right. Don't focus on Yellow, focus on the road.

"I don't!" Yellow cheerfully replied, giggling as he passed the hedgehog once again. Sonic huffed, and increased speed. 

"But you're so fast!"

"I grew up with you!"

A sharp turn left. Yellow didn't drop or fall. 

Despite needing to keep his eyes on the road, Sonic couldn't help but glance at Yellow every now and then- the fox seemed determined, having a strange smile Sonic had never seen on Tails before on his face. That smile changed soon enough when a childish joy blossomed, he stretched his arms and spun in the air. "I missed this!" 

"Running?"

"Couldn't do that in a cell!" 

Cell. Right.

Finally, the two slowed, coming to a halt in front of the back door of the house. Sonic stretched his arms, about to comment on his surprise- when a thump! had him turning around. "Wha- Yellow!"

He panicked at once when he saw the fox collapsed in the grass, body shaking and panting, struggling to catch his breath. Despite this, the fox was smiling and turned around to roll in the grass. "I'm fine." He wheezed, purring with delight. His tails wagged in response.

The door opening had him looking back at the kitchen- Knuckles looked confused, hand still resting on the doorknob. Ozzie ran outside as soon as freedom was in sight, attacking Sonic with affection at once. 

"Pfft- Ozzie, ew, stop!" He laughed, attempting to protect his mouth from being licked over. Still, the dog managed to push him on the ground.

"...The fox is injured."

"Am not!" Finally, Yellow's breathing calmed slightly. Yet he didn't move. 

"Tails?!" Blue was outside as soon as he heard his little brother, eyes wide and looking worried. His worry melted away when he saw the other was alright- but instead of relief, he looked... Sonic knew that look. "Miles."

"Tails."

"Fine, Tails. I remember someone being injured. His tail too hurt to fly with? Ring any bells?"

"And I remember someone attempting to race with Shadow after twisting his ankle to prove a point."

"..."

"..."

"..."

After a staring contest that felt like forever did Blue gave up, letting out a defeated sigh and looking away. Yellow grinned in victory, then nuzzled his face into the grass.

"You're gross."

"Says you."

Knuckles cleared his throat. The two looked up. "...Mrs. Mother told me to come get you. She wanted to look at your tail again."

"..." Yellow looked at Blue.

He nodded. 

And the fox got up to follow the echidna without any argument. 

Sonic, who had finally managed to escape from Ozzie, was still giggling as he got up, attempting to wipe the slobber off his face. Blue just stood there- and crossed his arms. He didn't seem mad, just unimpressed. "He used puppy eyes on you didn't he?"

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "...He called them Youngest Sibling Privileges."

"This kid- Tails Youngest Sibling Privileges are not a thing in this world either!" Blue yelled, stomping back inside- probably to scold the other one. From the inside, Sonic could hear Knuckles ask.

"Does that mean we have Oldest Sibling Privileges?"

"... That's different."

"You can't decide one exists while the other doesn't!"

Sonic closed the door behind him, watching as their dog ran into the living room- and heard the chaos that followed. "Ozzie wait no no-"

"It's attacking me!" He heard Yellow shriek, followed by a thump! of something hitting the floor.

"Ah. He likes you. Excellent." 

The hedgehog tried to hide his snickers and peeked from the door. Yellow was pinned to the floor by Ozzie, demanding attention the same way he had done with Sonic. Yellow, however, tried to push him away. "This is gross! I get it you like me, please go away-"

"Oh no... Tails." Blue stretched his arm lazily, before pulling it back. "Oh well." 

"Sonic, dear, could you wake up your brother please?" Maddie kindly asked, not at all fazed by the many kids around her. Her son saluted him, then raced upstairs. 

Only for Tails to not be in his room.

...Huh. 

"Tails!" He called out, running to the guest room next. "Amy! Red! Good morning!"

Those two were missing as well.

"...Uhm." he frowned. One by one, he went through all the rooms in his search... and found the three in the basement. With the master emerald and the one Yellow had managed to protect.

Lost in thoughts, Red was holding the smaller emerald in his palm, seeming to be meditating with his eyes closed on the ground. Amy and Tails were looking at the bigger one.

"I don't know, Tails." The hedgehog sounded uncertain, placing her hands on her hips as she attempted to stand straighter. "You're sweet, you all are- but you can't. I know you mean well but-"

"-Our counterparts fight!" The fox insisted, a determined expression on his face. "So why can't we?!"

"You guys?" Sonic calling for them had the two looking up. Red didn't stir, still in a trance. "What's going on?"

Amy looked guilty as she looked away, unable to face him. "...Sonic, you must understand-"

"They want to leave!" His little brother cried out, accusingly turning back to Amy. "But you can't! Eggman is way too strong!"

"Which is why we have to go." Her voice was softer as she murmured. 

Sonic blinked. Before it hit what she was saying. "Hey, what, hold on you can't just- why would you leave?"

They wanted to go? Out there? To a world they knew nothing about? Blue had broken his leg in the first week! Yellow mentioned being poisoned- Red had sprained his arm. Even Amy herself had looked beaten up! Not to mention, none of them seemed to have any survival instincts. Red maybe a little, but that was it! Yellow definitely not, he let himself be captured. Amy and Blue?

"We have no choice, love," Amy muttered, holding her hands together and lowering her arms, along with her face. "Robotnik... he has too much power. He has almost all the emeralds. He knows there are two of you now. Not to mention, he has tracked So-... Blue many times before. He'll find a way to do it again. I know he will."

"You're going to die out there!" The fox raised his voice, before immediately covering his mouth with both hands. He didn't mean to yell, but it was true: they were toast.

"The longer we are here-" Red finally spoke, spooking all three of them by suddenly speaking. "-the more danger you are in. You especially, Sonic."

"...Me?"

"Your chaos energy is untrained." The echidna got up from his position, stretching his arms above his head while still holding the emerald carefully. "Unfiltered. Chaotic."

"...You don't need to rub it in." Sonic crossed his arms, muzzle turning slightly red.

"Your powers have yet to be shaped.'' Red paid him no mind, gently setting the emerald next to the master one, closing his eyes for a moment. "If he can find a way to shape your powers as he pleased... it's too dangerous. We need to go.''

"...I'll get Sonic and Tails."

"Hey hold on!"

Maddie looked up, just having finished up with rebandaging Yellow's tail, noticing how the pink hedgehog's expression was solemn and her son's panicked. ''Are you two alright? You look pale-''

"They want to leave!'' Sonic immediately let her know, causing her to freeze. "Mom stop them!''

Blue and Yellow looked at each other, then at Amy. Neither seemed surprised. Still, Blue asked. "Now?

"Yes, now. Knuckles just finished meditating.''

"Wait, what is-'' Maddie was confused mostly, her brain taking a second. ''Where are you going?"

''They think it's too dangerous for them to stay.''

''Because it is.'' Yellow dusted himself off, curled his namesakes together, and then walked towards his older brother. The human grabbed his arm.

''Yellow, honey, you're injured. Not to mention... you do know there are no other Mobians out there? How will you get home without being able to build a portal?''

The fox paused, seeming to think about it. His ears lowered.

''Tails will find a way.'' Blue sounded confident, and trusting, gently taking Maddie's hand so she would let go of the other, then let go himself. ''I appreciate your kindness, Maddie, but it's time to go.''

Red reappeared too, finally, holding the emerald Yellow had brought with him. He nodded approvingly once he saw all of them. ''Good. We can go.''

"No, you can't-''

''We can't,'' Yellow spoke up, sounding defeated. His tails limply lying on the floor. The others looked at him in surprise.

Blue was the one to first speak. ''...Tails, if you're worried about us being hurt-''

''No, not that.'' He shook his head, looking ashamed for some reason as he hugged himself. ''Mrs. Maddie is right. I don't have my tech. Or my tools. Or my lab. Not even the Tornado... I can't build a portal. Not on my own.''

''I did not go back to my village for you to just leave!" they heard Tails yell from downstairs, sounding offended.

Tom came walking downstairs, looking sleepy, with his oldest son leading him to the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes. ''Who's leaving?''

"No one is leaving!"

"We are."

"We can't-"

"How about." Maddie cut them all off again, getting up to be able to look at all of them. They shut up. "You think about it, first? You can't make a choice so fast. You won't die from one more day."

"...Fine." Amy huffed, turning to the kitchen to be able to start breakfast. Red, seeing the decision was made, went after her so he could go to the garden.

"..." All eyes turned to Yellow and Blue. The older one just looked frustrated, the younger one defeated.

"...I want to see the Tornado,"

"Fine by me." Blue stretched his arms, then legs then held out a hand. Yellow jumped, started flying, then took it.

Within a flash, the two of them were gone. So fast everyone except Sonic stood there, astonished.

"...I'm that fast?" Tails peeped, threatened for some reason. He couldn't even start to imagine going at such speeds- but if his counterpart could do it, he should probably too right? 

But... 

His ears lowered. Sonic cleared his throat. He couldn't stand the silence.

This time, the hedgehog knew where he was going.

This time, he could take a detour.

This time... he could run with his little buddy instead of sitting and waiting in a car.

Distantly, Blue knew he was being selfish- Yellow had already flown enough today, his tails probably hurt worse then the fox wanted to admit, and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. But he had missed running with the fox, missed the way he didn't need to slow down so the other could keep up, missed his laugh... but most importantly-

"You've gotten slow, Sonic!" Yellow laughed, winking, waving, and then speeding up.

He missed kicking the other's butt.

"Why you little-" he grinned, holding his arms behind his back, then sped up. Okay, he wasn't going full speed- the only ones who could actually keep up were Silver and Shadow. Still... Yellow was doing a decent job.

"And where do you think you're going?" He teased, waging a hand in front of his face. "We're going right, bud."

The fox nodded, changing course. Blue followed along, making sure to be just in front of the other. 

They ran like that for a couple more minutes until Yellow tapped his wrist-watch, Blue's lighting up to signal he was done for now. The older one nodded, slowing his pace so instead of sprinting he was jogging, then stopped altogether. The younger followed suit, lowering himself to sit on the ground to catch how breath.

Blue was amused. "You good, buddy?"

"Hm." He hummed, a smile on his face as he held his hands up. Blue pulled him back up again.

"Let me know if you get too tired, yeah?"

"I'm not a baby, Sonic."

"Uh-huh,"

Yellow narrowed his eyes. "Is that sarcasm?"

Blue mock-gasped, putting a hand on his chest. "I would never."

"..."

"..."

The two grinned, then decided to continue. Now at a slower pace, considering the trees.

"...How did you even find Eggy in this jungle?"

"IIts a forest, Sonic. And it wasn't hard!" Yellow looked proud, stepping on a twig. His proudness turned into annoyance as he grumbled. "He was trying to chop down the trees."

"Of course he was." His mood soured at the mention. Before his eyes softened when he saw the familiar path of destroyed trees. "...Do you remember crashing here, Tails?"

"I was too busy keeping the Tornado upright!" He smiled again, following the trail and taking a look around his surroundings- seeing the destruction he had caused with his landing alone. "...Maybe I could ask Knuckles if we can use the emerald to restore the trees." 

"And have the place buzzing with chaos energy?" Blue's voice had lowered, a bit sad remembering the last time they had been here. He didn't want to imagine his brother in such a situation- plane crash, all alone, new world, what, because Blue failed? Failed to protect him? The rest of Mobius?

Because Blue had been the stupid, stupid idiot to give Yellow the emerald instead of keeping it himself.

Maybe, if he had the emerald, he would have been able to stop Eggman before he even fired the portal. Maybe he would have retrieved the rest of the emeralds. Red wouldn’t be mad at him. And everything would be alright now. 

Of course he messed up. Just like how he angered his counterpart and messed too much with his business. Because Blue was the moron who didn't think things through, stupid stupid-

He hadn't even realized they had gotten there until he bumped into Yellow. 

The fox had grown quiet, his smile gone, as he stared at the wreckage. His expression softened.

"...She really is done, isn't she?" He mumbled, reaching out to place his hand on top of the spray-painted words. Blue sighed, crossing his arms.

"Its old, Tails. I'm surprised it didn't fall apart sooner." 

"I took good care of it." He hummed, brushing a hand over the letters. "Until now..." 

"Hey." A hand was placed on his shoulder, causing Yellow to look up. "It's just a plane. We can get a new one. I'm just glad you are still in one piece." 

"I guess." He still looked sad, his tails stopping its movement to hang limply. "...I can see if there are parts I can use. But the plane herself is done it seems... sorry."

"Wha-" Blue blinked, confused. "Why?"

"I ruined your plane." He flew up to get into the cockpit, wincing at the amount of furr that covered the chair, amongst other things. "...Oh chaos."

"You think I care about that?" Blue sounded offended, zipping up so he was in top of the plane as well, hands on his hips. "Tails, I can get a new plane. I can't get a new little brother though. So forget the Tornado! We can get an even cooler one!"

"But... I wasn't careful-"

"Miles Prower."

Nothing else was said after that. 

Blue sat down at some point, legs crossed and quietly watching the sky while Yellow pulled apart what he could. Most looked burned. Made sense, considering the Tornado wasn't built to handle something as strong as an emerald. It had, literally, fried. 

He really didn't care about the plane though. It was sad, but just a tool. Something he could replace. He had found it somewhere abandoned when he first got it anyway... maybe Tails would know what to do with it. 

He didn't even look down when he heard glitching from his phone again, knowing that if it were important, there would be some grant announcement. Still, he frowned. The fox stopped his work to check his own phone, and huffed. "He's doing something alright..."

"The longer we stay here, the worse its gonna be for this world." Blue looked down finally. "Are you sure we can't leave?"

Yellow stopped messing around for a moment. Before he sighed, and attempted to loosen the screws of the main panel. 

"Sonic... it's like I said. I don't have my lab. Or my tools. I don't... I don't have a plan. That was keep the emerald save until now. I can't do anything without the tools or at least place to work... I'm useless here."

"Hey, don't say that-"

"I didn't mean that in an insecure sense." The fox looked up, unimpressed. "I mean it. I'm not strong, I know you hold back when running with me- don't give me that look, its alright. I don't even have a weapon- Amy at least has her hammer."

"You can spindash!"

"With your help." Yellow managed to pull the board away, then reached down to pull out some wires. "Other me already has the blueprints and materials- maybe he started building the portal already? It will go much faster if we stay. And then we'll be gone for good." 

"..." Blue sighed, and looked back up at the sky again. "...Our counterparts go to school here " he mumbled after a moment.

"Because they're normal here." Yellow got out, threw a piece of metal outside, then dove right back into his work. Blue sighed again.

Normal. Right. 

What he wouldn’t give for that to be true.